


Akashi no Quidditch

by somestrongsaeki



Series: Akashi no Quidditch -verse [1]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Hogwarts AU, M/M, Quidditch, not Quidditch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-09-02
Packaged: 2018-04-06 16:51:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 16
Words: 46,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4229496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somestrongsaeki/pseuds/somestrongsaeki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An inter school quidditch cup (and something much more sinister) featuring pretty much all of the characters from KnB. Starring Akashi (the GoM) and his would be crew in all their 5th year Hogwarts glory. (The rating only applies to the last chapter. The rest of the story is T.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The game changer

*****Too much recent Harry Potter [(and KnB HP AU)](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3940588/chapters/8831245%20) love and great AU stories (like [ this](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3981922/chapters/8937700)) have forced me to begin this story.******

 

The rain whipped furiously into his face and his robes blew erratically as he flew. He released his grip on the broom long enough to sweep his hand across his eyes before calling for the ball.

"Kazunari!" he yelled, voice drowned by the growl of thunder. By some miracle, the other chaser's attention was caught and the ball was swiftly thrown in his direction.

They were leading 170-30, but Akashi knew that victory was far from guaranteed-- they were playing Hufflepuff after all.

The heavy rain made the quaffle nearly invisible as it floated his way, but he trusted in Takao's passes and knew it would be placed perfectly. Without having to look, the leather met his outstretched palm and he made his way to the goal. On his left, Himuro pushed forward valiantly, clashing wildly with the 6th year Iron-heart, Kiyoshi Teppei. It was a battle of wills that Akashi knew his teammate couldn't win. In front of him, the timid 5th year Sakurai rode to face him. But his real challenge was his old friend, the giant, guarding the goal behind the the chaser. Murasakibara was the best keeper the school had seen in almost a century. But then again, Akashi was one of the best chasers that had played in over a century. The captain glanced at Sakurai, then dipped his broom and spun, leaving the defender at a loss. The young man quickly lost his balance and slipped off his broom.

Akashi's eyes flashed dangerously with the lighting and the giant faltered for a moment-- just enough time for the Slytherin captain to take the shot. But as he reached back, the whistle trilled loudly in his ears.

"Ah shit," Kazunari Takao groaned unceremoniously from below him. Akashi sighed and tucked the quaffle under his arm; he turned on a dime and followed the gaze of the cheering spectators. The majority of the audience roared with appreciation as loudly as the echoing thunder (Slytherin never was a particularly popular house). But apparently the seeker had been so inspiring, that even his own house clapped begrudgingly.

A small smile danced on his lips as he met his friend's eyes through the sheets of rain: Kuroko, the greatest seeker that no one ever really saw play. The young man's silver hair was matted to his head from the downpour, but his fist was raised victoriously. Despite his stoic expression, Akashi knew his old friend was extremely excited.

As both teams began landing, the rest of the Hufflepuff team gathered around their prized seeker and hoisted him onto their shoulders. For the second year in a row, Kuroko had earned them the house cup. Around them the rowdy chorus started by Teppei and the other 6th year, Izuki, to the tune of "for he's a jolly good fellow," (except that they had cleverly substituted 'seeker' for the word 'fellow') grew more boisterous. Despite the horrendous weather, the rest of the Hufflepuff students began storming the field, and even the head of the house, Professor Takeuchi, joined them in the celebrations.

Akashi glanced at the rest of his team and most still had their heads held high.

"Good," he mumbled. They were an exceptional team, and had only lost by a small margin. Overall, they were still second place and it was almost good enough for Akashi-- almost. The red headed captain sighed and motioned for his team to join him at midfield. Haizaki and the other beater, Hiyama, swaggered over, obviously irritated at the loss. Takao had begun to cry, but was valiantly trying to hold back the tears. Seto-kun had already wandered off, probably happy to be finally finished with quidditch, and the Slytherin vice-captain, Himuro, strode over to take his place behind Akashi. He too had tears in his eyes (or eye as it were) that he was valiantly holding back. Akashi took a deep breath and turned to place his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Takao-kun, Himuro-kun, we did our best," his voice was soft and warm, "and we should be proud."

At that Takao sniffled a bit, but smiled and though his face was hidden, Akashi knew Himuro's lips had quirked as well. And in fact, Kuroko, the generally expressionless seeker, was sporting a smile himself. He had crossed the field and had just reached the trio.  

"Welcome back, Akashi-sama," the seeker said quietly, extending his hand. Akashi smiled, a bright, genuine smile that he hadn't shared with anyone in years.

"Thank you Kuroko-kun, but I don't know that I really went anywhere," the captain said as he shook his old friend's hand. Kuroko's expression remained unchanged, but there was an amused glint in his eyes.

"Ah, yes. My mistake, Akashi-sama."

The Slytherin captain's smile grew to a grin.

"Please stop with the sama old friend."

Kuroko nodded and turned to head back to his team. Murasakibara had already eaten half of the cake and begun drinking the butterbeer that the school provided to the winning team. Akashi held his tongue for a moment, but shook his head to himself and quickly called out.

"Ah, Kuroko-kun."

The other young man turned back, eyebrows slightly raised. Akashi stepped forward past his teammates and spoke quietly.

"Even if you think you are just a shadow. Thank you for being my light in that storm."

A gentle blush crept up to Kuroko's cheeks and he faltered a moment before speaking.

"It's nothing. You're my captain."

And my friend.

Akashi nodded and the two walked back to their respective teams. Head master Takeda (with a little help from the snarls of Vice master, Kategora Aida) got the crowd to settle down long enough for the two teams to bow and say their thanks. Then the party moved inside, nearly flooding the halls with the water from their robes. Most of the students pressed into the great hall opting to cast drying spells instead of changing clothes. Though they lost, most of the Slytherin house was present, ever game for a good party. Relations weren't perfect between the houses, but they had made great strides since the era of You-know-who and a certain Mr. Potter. The music piped loudly through the hall and the older students began the dance. They knew the party would really start once the 4th year curfew rang from the great clock. There were a few Slytherin students conspicuously, though understandably, missing.

In the dressing room, most of the Slytherin team had dressed and left, leaving Akashi Seijuro with his own thoughts. He stripped slowly and moved to take a long, cold shower.

Victory was always assured for him. Except when it wasn't, that is. This was the second time he had lost to Kuroko. Last year, it was in no way his fault. Their former captain, an arrogant, and egotistical 7th year, had done a piss poor job of managing the team. That loss seemed more acceptable. This year, however, Akashi was captain and he shouldered the blame for their lack of absolute victory himself.

What would his father say, he thought tiredly. His family was one of the oldest pure blood families and well known throughout the wizarding world. Though Akashi himself respected fellow players and classmates no matter their background, his father still looked down on half-bloods and "mudbloods," as he still archaically referred to them. And his father always expected victory.

Seijuro let out a sigh as the water chilled him. He'd spent the year building up the team and trying to break them of their violent habits. And all the while, he'd been battling his own demon, or little brother, as he had once referred to him. At least this bitter defeat had helped him with that little problem.

Losing was still terrible though, he thought as he leaned more heavily into the water. The last moments of the game replayed through his mind. If only he had released the quaffle earlier and if only Kuroko wasn't such an insanely discreet seeker.

But more than winning, Akashi knew that was Kuroko's goal this whole time-- freeing Akashi from his alternate personality. That small smile returned to his lips.

The thought of his oldest friend, the young man who had singlehandedly brought them all back from their various states of depression or mental unrest, warmed him through the cold water. It also reminded him that Midorima was undoubtedly waiting for him with Momoi.

With a flick of his wrist, the water stopped flowing and with another flick, he was dry. For some reason, he felt a tingle along his spine; he was filled with...anticipation. But for what, he didn't know. He shook his head and pulled on his robes quickly, yet perfectly. As soon as he stepped out of the room, he was accosted.

"It took you long enough."

Midorima's deep voice was laden with false annoyance. The green-haired Ravenclaw leaned opposite the door, against the wall of the hallway.

Before Akashi could answer, a delicate arm intertwined with his own and after giving him a quick peck on the cheek, Momoi leaned against his shoulder.

"Welcome back," she said quietly. Midorima rolled his eyes and pushed up his glasses. With a slight nod of agreement, he turned, moving towards the great hall. Akashi and Momoi looked at each other, both trying to suppress a laugh. They strode in amicable silence towards the party until the taller young man spoke up.

"You played well."

"Ah, thank you Midorima-kun."

"Please, captain Seijuro..." the young man said, shifting his weight. He paused and rolled his shoulders, trying to seem a little less awkward. Momoi turned her head, and covered her mouth, trying not to smile at his obvious attempt at sincerity. Midorima cleared his throat and, without looking back, he stopped walking long enough to say, "Shintarou is still fine."

Akashi raised his eyebrows and shared another meaningful look with Momoi before they followed their friend, his brisk stride down the hall had returned.

"Ah, yes of course, Shintarou-kun."

Momoi smiled warmly and reached out for Midorima's arm. He casually removed her hand and continued walking. The small blush the crept over his features didn't escape the notice of his two friends.

"You didn't ask where Takao-kun is, Shin-chan," Momoi said with a smirk. The other man's blush deepened and he grunted in response.

"Yes, he seemed quite distraught after our loss. It might be best if you seek him out," Akashi added. The harshness that had once edged his smooth voice had dissipated with his 'younger brother.' The silky sound of it was now as convincing as ever.

The three entered the rou of the Great Hall where the fourth years and younger were just now being ushered out and back to their dorms. The ceiling of the hall was cast to look like the clear night sky, with intermittent bursts of fireworks. On stage, the school's resident battle of the bands winner played some pretty decent covers. Lights focused on the stage occasionally danced over the crowd. During a sweep of blue light, the Slytherin captain spotted who he was looking for, distanced from the swaying crowd.

"Ah, I see him," Akashi gestured to where his teammate sat, slunk against a wall. The Slytherin chaser's sad eyes were focused on the goblet he held slack in his hands.

"Hn. If you'll excuse me then," Midorima strode away before the two could respond. The shared a knowing look and Momoi began to pull Akashi to the center of the dance floor. As they moved, he received several nods and a few words of condolence from his classmates. None dared to lay a hand on him though, as his previous persona was a bit more intimidating and...well, insane. He smiled graciously and took it in stride, moving steadily towards his old friends who happened to be celebrating with their winning team.

His own teammate, Himuro, was already with Murasakibara sharing a few cups of butter beer. The tall young man glanced at him long enough to wave and say.

"Hi Aka-chin."

The hero of the hour, Kuroko Tetsuya, was disappearing and reappearing around the party wherever that idiot Kagami happened to drag him.

Glancing around, Akashi saw his other teammates, the asshole known as Hanamiya and the other pain in the ass known as Haizaki both speaking quite closely with two Slytherin girls. They were disgusting wizard beings, but their small group of Slytherin fan girls didn't seem to mind. He was pulled from his thoughts by a familiar voice.

"You played really well, Akashi-san."

Akashi turned his head towards the deep tones. Of course they belonged to the friendly Hufflepuff captain. His thick eyebrows were pulled up and his eyes were closed from his warm smile. If there were anyone who embodied the Hufflepuff ideal, it was this young man.

"Thank you Teppei-san."

The other young man smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head, "without Kuroko, we would definitely have been done for."

"Likely," came a snigger from behind Akashi. Without looking, he knew it was the Ravenclaw captain. With his contrary personality, many students wondered why he wasn't a Slytherin. The mocking voice continued, "But congratulations anyway--Iron heart."

"Ah, I don't know why you insist on calling me that, Imayoshi-kun."

"Because that's your name, idiot," with a growl, the Gryffindor captain, Hyuga, joined the conversation. He reached out and smacked the back of Iron heart's head and pushed up his own glasses.

To no one's surprise, Kyoshi simply laughed and grabbed his old friend's shoulders.

"It's about time you came to congratulate us, Hyuuga-kun!" he grinned and Hyuuga squirmed from his grasp. While their antics unfolded, Imayoshi turned his attention to Akashi.

The young man's glasses glinted in the light. But despite his airs, those who knew him well knew that he had a good heart (most of the time).

"You did play really well, Akashi-kun."

The Slytherin captain gave a small bow.

"Thank you. That's quite a compliment coming from you."

Imayoshi sniggered lightly and waved his hand dismissively, "yeah, yeah." His eyes darted over to Momoi before he quickly excused himself, citing something about needing a drink to deal with the other houses' idiots.

In his wake, the tall Ravenclaw vice-captain extended his hand to both Teppei and in turn Akashi.

"I'm sorry about that guy," he said with a bow.

"It's fine, Tai-chan," Teppei grinned. The other young man flinched and pinched his nose.

"Please call me Otsubo, or at least Taisuke."

"Ah, sure. I'm sorry Otsubo-samma."

With that, the Ravenclaw turned away, ignoring any subsequent remarks from the Hufflepuff captain.

"And Akashi-kun," the older boy smiled, "you've really turned this team around."

"Thank you, Otsubo-san."

The other boy met his eyes seriously.

"Honestly. I don't know how you deal with most of them. If I were their captain, I think I would hex them in their sleep."

With that, Akashi couldn't help but let out a genuine laugh.

"Well, Takao isn't so bad. And Himuro is actually a pretty nice guy."

It was Otsubo's turn to laugh.

"Yeah, two out of six aren't exactly favorable odds. But, I'm glad it's you. You're really quite amazing."

Akashi bowed before he responded. Really, the second time he was called amazing by someone he respected in one night. It was a little much even for him.

"Thank you again, Otsubo-san."

The Ravenclaw vice-captain bid his farewell and walked to a group of students from his class.

Before long, the entire Gryffindor team, besides just Hyuuga, spoke consoling praise to Akashi. His pride pushed against these words of 'pity', but despite how it pained him, he graciously accepted them with nods and smiles and humble words.

After Kagami and Kasamatsu were finished, the last Gryffindor player approached him saying something that sounded like, "G(r)eat (j)ob A(ka)sh(i)-san! You a(re) a(n) am(azi)ng cha(ser)!"

"What?" Akashi whispered to Momoi, after he had shaken the young man's hand.

Her nose crinkled. "I think he said, 'great job Ash-san. You aaaamazing, ya!' or something like that." She looked more directly at him, and tilted her head in thought, "You are pretty amazing."

He flushed slightly, "thank you."

He didn't need to say how much more it meant coming from someone he respected as much as Momoi. She was his most trusted confidant and one of his oldest friends. Even when he was...someone else, at times he was still able to push through and speak openly with her. The smartest student in Ravenclaw and the reason that Midorima hadn't given up on Akashi entirely. When she drank enough butter beer, she also liked to point out that she had the biggest cup size and best wardrobe which was also absolutely true-- Momoi was truly one in a million.

He only realized he was openly staring when she gestured towards the front of the hall. In his practiced manner, he turned calmly to see what had caught her eye. If she noticed the pink on his cheeks, she didn't say anything about it.

At the front of the hall, Headmaster Kenji Takeda cleared his throat and tipped his wand to his throat. In a few moments, the din of the upperclassmen quieted and all eyes turned to him.

His voice was soft and raspy, but still held a modicum of authority.

"Some of you may have already heard the rumors and I'm here to say they're true."

There was an excited mumble among a few of the students, but most just looked at each other in confusion.

"Every four years, we have an interschool quidditch cup with Beauxbatons and Durmstrang academies. Since only fourth years and above are allowed to attend away contests, most of you weren't old enough to appreciate the event the last time it was around."

"I think by most, he means all," mumbled Imayoshi. His vice-captain jabbed him in the ribs.

"Shut it."

The headmaster continued.

"The event will take place in three months-- at the beginning of summer vacation. The tournament will be spaced out over one month's time. For that month, the upperclassmen from those academies will stay here with us. We will treat them with respect and friendship," he paused and let the message sink in, eyeing the students sternly.  

"To create the team, open tryouts will be held for an all-star team combining all of the talents of the best quidditch players in Hogwarts."

He held up his hands to silence the cheers and conversations that erupted from the announcement.

"However--" the students fell silent, "however, seventh years will not be allowed to play due to their demanding schedule preparing for the NEWTs."

There was an audible groan shared by every seventh year.

"There will be a seventh year team, though. They will participate in an exhibition match against a team of professors."

With that, the students began whooping and hollering, and the party was back in swing.

"This should be interesting," Imayoshi grinned.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more Harry Potter than romance, so please don't be disappointed when there isn't a ton of lovey dovey stuff (definitely some though ;) ).Just a warning because I don't want to let any readers down hehe.   
> Some extra things of a more romantic nature will be linked at the end of some chapters. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy the story!
> 
> *update: here's a small [fluff thing](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4577970) about Midorima at the party.
> 
> ***Also, it's only rated M in the Extra Super Chapter; the rest of the fic is T.


	2. What's to come

Potions was the last thing on his mind. He had lost the Quidditch cup just a few days ago, and besides dwelling on his defeat, the rest of his thoughts were occupied by the upcoming all-star trials. Akashi glanced at his deskmate, Takao, to see how he was fairing. The other young man looked far more interested in his wand than the properties of Moonstone.

A few rows in front of him, Kuroko, Murasakibara and their meekly, apologetic Hufflepuff chaser, Sakurai, seemed equally inattentive. Akashi couldn't see Himuro, but he was sure he found find the same expression on his teammates face. All of the quidditch players in class were completely useless at school work and would likely remain that way until after tryouts were finished and the team was chosen.

According to the headmaster, tryouts would be mostly based on merit, but would also include some voting by the students. His rationale was that the student body should be able to help choose who represented them against their two rival schools. So, there would be three days of tryouts, open to the entire student body. Students who watched at least two of the tryout days would be allowed to cast their vote for who they think most deserved each position: chaser, beater, keeper, and seeker.

The Slytherin captain tilted his head to look at his longtime friend, Kuroko Tetsuya. The young man possessed the unique skill to become invisible at will; whether it was with or without the use of magic was still unclear to most. The Hufflepuff house professor assured everyone that while in a quidditch match, the seeker never used magic. Since the headmaster and other house professors had confirmed this, the students never bother Kuroko about it (being Akashi's close friend didn't hurt in the anti-bullying department either).

Though he wasn't the fastest seeker, finding the snitch without anyone noticing seemed to come easily to Kuroko. The silver-haired boy had more often than not caught the golden ball before the other team's seeker had even noticed it was in play. The young man was practically assured the spot as the all-star seeker.

Most would probably say the same thing about Akashi and the position of chaser, but since ridding himself of that ridiculously arrogant young man in his mind, he was finally able to express the humility that was at the core of his personality. His humility was not to be confused with a lack of self-confidence however; he knew he was definitely one of the best in the school. And he expected himself to get on the team-- through hard work and exemplary play only. Nothing was guaranteed (likely...but not guaranteed).

His mind wandered to the other potential candidates. In this particularly potions class, practically all of the best 5th years quidditch players were on the role. Only the Gryffindor Taiga, an excellent beater, and Akashi's old friend Shintarou, the star chaser for Ravenclaw, were left-- unless you counted that asshat of a Slytherin, Haizaki (which Akashi did not).

Their 5th year was a group of pretty amazing quidditch talent, but there were a few 6th year players that had a chance. Though he played chaser for Hufflepuff, Kiyoshi Teppei was actually an excellent beater. The same could be said for the Ravenclaw beater Aida Riko, the best female quidditch player in the school. Gryffindor captain, Junpei Hyuuga was excellent from the outside as chaser, but his range was not quite as large as Shitarou's. And, let's face it, the stoic (and odd) Ravenclaw never missed a clear shot.

Akashi was abruptly pulled from his train of thought by a swift kick to the shin. Since he was Akashi, he didn't flinch, but secretly planned to return the kick at a later, more convenient date.

"Well, Akashi-kun?"

The professor stood expectantly in front of him, and he knew the question must have been asked at least twice-- Takao would never have chanced the kick otherwise. Without hesitation, Akashi silently cast an hour-reversal charm while twisting the dial on his ring, an heirloom gifted him by his great-grandfather. The professors would have a fit if they knew he could do it, but in his defense he could only manage at most three minutes while still maintaining any semblance of stability. The world around him slowed and began to move backwards with alarming speed. It was finished within seconds.

"So, Akashi-kun, can you repeat to me the uses of moonstone?" the professor had a smug smirk on his face, as if he thought he had trapped the Slytherin. To be fair, he had, but Akashi was just that impressive.

The redhead stood and, with an ever so innocent expression on his face, rattled off in short order, "The uses of moonstone are varied. However, it's most often found in love potions, the Draught of Peace, and the potion formerly known as Potion 86, which is now commonly known as Foliculo-repairo, or Rogain as muggles call it."

The professor blinked a few times before regaining his composure.

"Ah, yes. That's excellent Akashi. Five points to Slytherin."

When the professor turned around to resume, Himuro rolled his eye, leaned forward and muttered.

"I saw that."

Takao pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head gently, "You did the thing again, right? I hate it when you do the thing and I don't notice."

Akashi just shrugged, "Your eyes are impressive indeed, but that monstrosity in Himuro's head never misses anything."

There was a gentle whir and Akashi knew that his friend was using both eyes to glare at him. Though the young man was generally quite pleasant and easygoing, he had an infamous temper.

"Oh settle down Himuro-kun. I'm only joking. It's not a monstrosity; it's a miracle. A mad miracle."

Feeling slightly placated, Himuro mumbled, "damn straight," and leaned back into his seat. His left eye had been lost in a horrible accident as a second year-- a car accident, it was called. He had survived, but was in serious condition for several months.

His mother and father had both died in the accident. When his grandfather had learned of the tragedy, he apparated into Himuro's house and equipped him with a magical eye himself. Himuro's great-uncle had been an auror who possessed a very unique, charmed eye. Most of the students had never seen his magical eye, but there were rumors. Akashi and Takao had fought several students during their third year to end the bullying. In the end, the students feared Akashi Seijuro far more than they desired to make fun of Himuro's disability. Unfortunately for Himuro, the accident had held him back a year, so despite being the age of a 6th year, he was in the same level as his younger brother.

Now, most of the Slytherin's affectionately called him Mad Eye when he played. As a 5th year, it finally seemed like he basked in the nickname instead of reddening with anger (as he had when he was younger). Part of that was definitely due to his little brother Taiga transferring to Hogwarts after their parents passed.

After a short bout of nostalgia, Akashi put all his willpower into focusing for the remainder of class. He didn't really feel that comfortable about using his ring since it was an incredibly powerful and risky charm. He made a conscious effort to use it as infrequently as possible. Besides, the more he used it, the more chances he had of being discovered. And he couldn't have that now, could he?

When the professor finally assigned their reading and homework assignment, Akashi let out a quiet sigh of relief. He swept his things up with hasty grace and was the first student out the door. He didn't bother to wait for any of his classmates-- they all had their own lunch traditions.

When Akashi had his way, he enjoyed eating on the roof with Satsuki. They had mastered a version of Colloshoo (the sticking charm) that allowed them to hang out on the ancient shingles without worrying about slipping to their deaths.

Today, Momoi was already waiting for him on the outcrop near the Ravenclaw tower.

"Sei-chan!" she called brightly. Her pink hair bounced wildly as she ran sideways along the stone wall to greet him as he stepped out of the window. Before he could respond, she had snaked her arms around him in a suffocating hug.

"Hi," he wheezed, patting her as best he could with his immobilized arms.

"Oh, sorry Sei-chan, I'm just too excited today."

They walked swiftly up to their spot and Momoi began to chatter before Akashi had even taken a bite of his lunch.

"I just found out Dai-chan is coming with the Durmstrang team!" she grinned and suddenly crinkled her nose. Within moments, her hair morphed into a super saturated dark blue.

"There, that's better."

Akashi raised an eyebrow.

"It's Dai-chan's favorite color," she explained. He nodded and wiped his mouth with his napkin.

"Who exactly is this Dai-chan?"

She blinked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm going on and on about him and I haven't even told you anything about him. Dai-chan is my neighbor. We've been friends since we were three. Since we're both only children, he's always been like a brother to me."

"Ah, I see," said Akashi. He felt inexplicably relieved at the response.

"He'll be staying here for the summer. Isn't that wonderful? Oh, Kuroko will be so happy!"

And there it was-- that pang of jealousy that Akashi rarely felt, but always hated.

"Oh, will he?" he responded innocently. Momoi nodded enthusiastically.

"They played quidditch together all the time when we were kids. People used to call them the light and the shadow. They were awesome. But that was before Kuroko played seeker."

This was new information for Akashi which was surprising considering how well informed he generally was. Curiosity peeked, he pressed her with what he hoped was a discreet question.

"What did he used to play?"

"Well, he was a pretty awesome seeker. The other team would never notice and he'd throw Dai-chan these amazing passes," she turned a cute shade of pink before continuing, "Kuroko's really special. But anyway, without Dai-chan on his team, Kuroko thought it would be better to try a position where he had to rely on himself."

Akashi digested the information quietly alongside his sandwich. He chewed so quietly, most people would have thought he was faking it-- he wasn't.

Momoi touched her chin and continued, "But Tetsu-kun told me that he really loves being seeker now, so I guess it all worked out for the best. Though he did mention that he'd like to play with Akashi-kun someday."

The Slytherin captain felt the tips of his ears burn and responded with a non-committal "Hm."

The young Ravenclaw rolled her eyes, but smoothly changed the topic to their courses for the day. And that mutual understanding was one of the reasons Akashi was so grateful she had sat in his train car on their first day at Hogwarts. That and the fact that she had dragged her childhood friend, Kuroko, with her that day.

"Do you know anyone from the Beauxbatons school?" she asked suddenly. He raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sure you already know all about their team..." he began.

"Oh of course. I was just curious. Their ace is supposed to be this insanely attractive, half- Veela model. Have you ever seen one in real life, Sei-chan?"

He nodded.

"As a child, my hippogriff instructor was half-Veela. It was extremely difficult to disobey her," he mused.  Momoi's eyes twinkled.

"Sometimes I wish I were a Veela. Or a nymph."

Akashi clicked his tongue with a gentle tut-tut.

"You're beautiful enough as it is. Any more and it would be too much."

The young girl blushed and slapped his arm softly.

"You're so smooth. It's a wonder you don't have a girlfriend... or boyfriend."

The Slytherin nearly choked. His friend giggled openly.

"Don't forget, Sei-chan, I know everything. I'm the smartest Ravenclaw and that's saying something," she smirked as she hopped up. "I've got to get to creatures. Shintarou-kun wanted to copy my notes before class. I'll see you later in herbs, yeah?"

Still too startled to speak, Akashi simply nodded. He stood and walked along the roof to his next class. Since it was in the astronomy tour, it was quicker this way. Plus, he enjoyed how the breeze had picked up and the emerging dampness of the soft drizzle that had just begun.

He slowed as he reached the window he needed to slip into. Before, when he was still a maniac, he wouldn't have cared who say him swing imperiously through the window. But now, he preferred to remain discreet. He didn't need any more rumors spread about him and certainly didn't need any confrontations with professors-- especially since he'd threatened a few that no one (not even them) would stand in the way of ... well... of whatever he had chosen in the heat of the moment. And with that thought came a mental sigh; Akashi had a lot of things to make up for if he wanted to change his image.

With a flick and a slash of his wand, he mumbled the incantation, "cello chameleous," and blended thoroughly into the brick and sky. When there was a break in the students, he slipped in quietly through the window. As soon as he as in though, he heard a familiar voice drawl, "impedimenta" and his arms were bound in a hex.

"Seems I caught a big one," the one eyed Slytherin currently binding Akashi mused. At his side, the other traitorous 5th year snickered.

"You're really getting quite predictable, Akashi-kun," Takao said with a wave. He continued up the stairs without so much as a hitch in his step.

Akashi's voice remained calm and collected as he spoke a reprimand.

"Just because I'm not insane anymore doesn't mean I won't hesitate to dismember you. I hear regrowing bones is quite painful."

At that, Himuro paled ever so slightly and released the young captain. In an instant, he appeared and brushed off his robes.

"Well played though, Himuro-kun," he said as he swept up the stairs.

"Er, thanks?" replied the other Slytherin, quickly following.

They were the last ones to be seated in class, though they were still a bit early. Ancient Runes and divination had become quite a popular class since Professor Araki had taken over. Though she was tough, and sometimes smacked inattentive students with bamboo, she made the subject quite interesting. In fact, it was in vogue currently to communicate in notes with rune-code. You could see them on parchments throughout the school.

"Decoding ancient runes, unlike divination, is not an inherent gift. It is something you can become better at with practice and study. I know I say this often, but I want to remind you of my expectations often so there's no confusion," the dark haired professor's eyes narrowed as she held the last syllable and focused on one particular student.

Next to him, Takao stifled a giggle; he loved it when Kagami was picked on.

"Since we've understood each other, please take out Blishen's Advanced Runes. Today we're focusing on Eastern runes and their origins."

With a sweep of her arm, parchments flew quickly through the classroom; one for each shared table. Three students shared a table in this class, and he and Himuro shared with a Gryffindor girl named Fuji Yumiko. She was nice, but always seemed to have mischief on her mind (she was an odd Gryffindor).

But before they could begin decoding the parchment, a deep, resonant (and terrifying, though most of the students would deny it) voice came from the front of the classroom.

Professor Araki had her head thrown back and her jet black hair was blowing in imaginary wind.

"One became two, now two become one. But the buried will rise to bury the risen on the most auspicious of ancient days. The opened door will free great darkness. Without caution, the light will drown and the sun will cease to shine!"

And with that, she collapsed. Fortunately, Kagami (as stupid as he was) had already rushed to her side to catch her. But, that was expected. Everyone knew he and Himuro's youngest sister was a seer. The other brother crouched down next to them and cast a small breeze to cool her.

Takao had already moved toward the professor's office to send word to the headmaster via painting. The other students had gathered around with concern.

"Vera verto."

One of the Gryffindor girls tossed Akashi a cup she had transfigured from her pet rat. He quickly brandished his wand, spoke, "aguamenti" and offered the full cup to their professor. Though it may have seemed odd to the other class years that a Gryffindor had relied on a Slytherin to cast a spell, the 5th years had a more cohesive class than the older students. Akashi was well known as the best caster in their level, and every house respected him.

The headmaster arrived as the professor finally came to.

"You're all excused for the day. Thank you for acting so responsibly in a strange situation. Ten points to Gryffindor and Slytherin."

The students shuffled out, most positing guesses of what the prophecy might have meant. As the three Slytherin friends left the classroom, Akashi couldn't help but think the words were partially meant for him personally. The way Takao and Himuro kept throwing discreet glances his way told him that they suspected the same thing. 


	3. What the heck is Cannex?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chess and drugs anyone?

Of course it would be this asshole first. Akashi groaned internally, but smiled ever so politely when his opponent sat down. As Slytherin captain, he was well practiced at dealing with assholes and creeps.

"Hello, Imayoshi-san."

"Akashi-kun," Imayoshi nodded. Before he had even completely sat down, he put his elbow onto the table and rest his chin on his palm. He leaned closer to the redhead, perma-smirk ever gracing his sharp features. "What a pleasant surprise!"

Akashi seriously doubted their match-up was anything but planned. He waived the urge to crush the other young man's soul with an intense stare and opted instead to speak with equally feigned sweetness.  "Yes, it is. Let's have a good game."

"Alright players," Professor Nakatani called, "You will have a time limit of two hours. Please begin."

Since Akashi was white, he pushed his pawn forward in a standard opening.

"So," Imayoshi began immediately, "I heard you had a very interesting Ruins class yesterday."  He moved his own pawn and leaned back into his seat. His gaze was fixed on Akashi's face, studying it.

The fifth year wouldn't give him the satisfaction of emotion. Willing his eye not to twitch with annoyance, Akashi moved his knight to F3. He spoke flatly.

"Hmm. I wouldn't call it interesting exactly. Intense. A little frightening maybe. But the collapse of a professor would hardly be qualified as interesting."

"My mistake."

Imayoshi brought another pawn out (just one space) and ignored all signs that he should drop the subject. If he noticed the edge of hostility in Akashi's voice, he happily sidestepped it. And yes, of course he noticed.

Akashi quickly countered with his other center pawn before the other student could speak. The Ravenclaw stroked his chin slowly.

"Fascinating..."

He pushed up his glasses before he brought his bishop out to G4.

"So what exactly did she...say before she collapsed?"

Akashi watched intently as his pawn swung its tiny sword and Imayoshi's crumbled. He silently reveled in the idea that it was the Ravenclaw himself who had been beheaded.

"Nothing terribly clear," Akashi offered, "Some things about burying, digging up, death, caution... the usual, you know."

The black bishop moved to crush Akashi's knight.

"I see. And how about you?"

The white queen took destructive vengeance for his knight; under her little staff the bishop was literally obliterated into dust. He swore she smirked.

The Slytherin couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as he leaned forward slightly.

"Me? I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Imayoshi-san."

The sixth year grinned and took his pawn. Akashi quickly brought out his bishop to C4. The other young man sat back. It was obvious that he was stalling so he could extend their conversation.

"I mean exactly that, Akashi-kun."

He moved forward and brought out his knight to F6. After a moment, he put his elbows on the table and leaned on his palms. Akashi moved his queen to B3 and responded calmly.

"What exactly is that?"

"Ah," Imayoshi grinned as he finally brought out his own queen, "I think before you used to call me Shochi."

Akashi brought out his other knight in silence.

"In fact," the other student pressed as he moved out a pawn, "you used to address everyone by their first name. That was very...friendly of you."

"I didn't realize," Akashi replied. Though he flushed internally at the implications, his face was as stoic and calm as ever. He moved his other bishop to G5, beginning his final offensive.

"Oh, didn't you? Your sudden use of formality seems so unlike you," the Ravenclaw hummed as he thought of his next move. He toyed with another pawn before moving it to B5. "In fact, you seem like a whole new person."

Mentally, Akashi growled; he very much so wanted to kick Imayoshi under the table, but he knew that just wouldn't do--especially not during the school Wizard Chess Championship Invitational. What a mouthful.

After it took its place, his knight dismounted to give the Ravenclaw champion's pawn a thorough beating. The black pawn next to it made short work of the dismounted figure as it moved diagonally to break the larger piece. But mid-swing, Akashi's bishop quickly returned the favor. Both students had grown quiet with the quickened pace of the game.

Imayoshi moved his knight to B7 and looked at Akashi expectantly. With that smirk...

"I hadn't noticed," the redhead said smoothly. He castled across from the knight who had just moved. "Which me do you prefer?" He looked up from the board to give the 7th year a chilling look of curiosity mixed with ominous warning.

Imayoshi moved his rook to protect his king and swallowed; his adam's apple bobbed visibly.

"I--I... hmm. Well, it seems like they are both excellent in their own way. But I was probably just mistaken. Two people in one seems a bit farfetched," he laughed awkwardly.

He began to sweat as Akashi's rook took his knight mercilessly and nestled itself between the black queen and a rook. He pushed his own rook and the white crumbled in response.

Akashi slid his last castle to D1; he could practically taste the seventh year's metaphorical chess blood. Though he wanted to smirk, he left his face relaxed and content.

Imayoshi maneuvered his queen and Akashi quickly took his castle; enemies were given no quarter in wizard chess. The tiny bishop made a miniature cross over his chest. His stone prayer was short lived as the black knight neatly cut him in half.

"Next time, Imayoshi-san," Akashi smiled as he moved his queen to B8, "it might be better if you focused on the game."

The Ravenclaw groaned and moved his knight to assault the stone woman.

"Checkmate," Akashi said as his eyes flashed. His castle stood next to the cowering white king with an air of pride. And why wouldn't his pieces be proud? They rarely lost.

He stood and offered Imayoshi a quick bow.

"Thank you for the game."

Without waiting for the response, he walked over to the stands where Momoi was waiting. She was scribbling furiously on a parchment as he approached. Her bright green hair bounced with her concentrated movements.

Feeling his gaze, she put down her quill and began to clap. Her smile spread across both cheeks.

"Congratulations, Sei-chan!"

He raised an eyebrow.

"You weren't even watching, so how did you know I won?"

She tapped the side of her head with a long, elegant finger.

"Women's intuition."

Akashi scoffed and rolled his eyes gently.

"Alright, alright. I had already calculated the outcome. Did you beat him in 17 moves?"

The Slytherin thought back quickly.

"Hmm. Yes."

"Well, that's as anticipated then," Momoi said as she began to put away her things.

"You can be quite terrifying."

The amusement in his voice was subtle, but clear as day to the Ravenclaw.

"Thank you. So can you."

With a few small hops, she descended the stairs and earned the gawks of several of the male (and some of the female students). Akashi sighed.

"Sometimes, I wish you weren't so... bouncy."

The young woman blushed slightly, but seemed generally unphased.

"That won't change until I'm over 60," she mused. The Slytherin felt himself gag ever so slightly at the picture that painted. He quickly changed the subject as they walked toward the lake.

"Is the green for me?"

Momoi spun a strand around a finger of her free hand.

"Of course. Do you like it, Sei-chan?"

"It's very green," he paused, searching for the right words, "I think only you could pull off something so bold actually."

The young woman dropped the strand and gave his arm a squeeze .

"Always the charmer."

They walked the rest of the way down to the lake chatting about their recent Herbology (or herbs as their friends called it) assignment. Someone had been caught growing magical cannabis, cannabis excelsum as it was officially known, somewhere on the grounds. Though they had almost coaxed the location out of their professor, their ploy was discovered at the last moment.

"Hippie heathens!" he had exclaimed. Whatever that meant. Akashi made a note to ask Takao about it when he saw him again.  

Instead of learning the location of the prized plants, they had to write an extra 16 inches on the potential negative effects of charmed neuro-altering plants, or c-naps as they were affectionately called.

"Have you ever tried any c-naps?" Momoi asked Himuro after they sat with him at the water's edge. The Slytherin sat on a large blanket with Kuroko, who seemed to be very focused on his comic book, and his brother Taiga, who seemed to be very focused on the three Hufflepuff girls swimming a few meters away.

Himuro's eye gave a quick whirl-- probably checking for any eavesdroppers-- before he answered.  

"I've only had Canex, and some Agaven."

"Venenag?" Akashi asked. He was well versed in many things, but 'special' plants was not one of them.

"Agaricum Venenatus. Magic. Mushrooms. In all senses of the word. Those things..." Himuro trailed of and his eye spun loudly. They got the picture.

"What about you, Momoi?"

The tips of her ears turned crimson.

"There was one time. My friend and I found his father's stash and he dared me to vape some," she paused, looking wide-eyed, "It was amazing!"

Himuro and Akashi laughed in unison; Kagami was still completely tuned out of the conversation.

"You, Akashi-kun?" the one-eyed boy asked. Both he and Momoi looked a little hesitant to ask, but extremely curious. The Slytherin captain smirked as he lay down on the enchanted blanket; it had slowly grown underneath him and made just enough space for him to stretch out.

"Never Agaven, as you called it, but Cannex..."

The other two held their breath as they waited for the answer.

"Yes. I was actually the one growing them on campus."

Himuro's jaw dropped and even Kagami turned to look. Momoi was at a loss for words. The sense of panic among them grew quickly before it was quickly cut off by a flat voice.

"He's joking," Kuroko said with a hint of condescension coupled with the amusement in his stoic voice.

All three heads snapped back to look at Akashi, who had closed his eyes. A smile danced on his lips.

"It's not our fault!" Kagami mumbled, "Guy hasn't made a joke in two years."

"Best get used to it Bakagami. But honestly, I expected more from the two of you."

The Slytherin and Ravenclaw's eyes met and they both shrugged sheepishly.

"You never know with Sei-chan. You're quite unpredictable sometimes," Momoi offered.

"True. And to answer you question," Akashi plucked a piece of grass as he spoke, eyes still closed, "I have vaporized Cannex before. I sometimes like to do it before I listen to classical music. Not often though. We're too young for that sort of foolishness."

Himuro snickered. Only Akashi could state something that became painfully obvious once said outloud. Kuroko nodded in agreement.

"My parents vape when they think I'm not around. But, I just happen to always be around when they do," the young Hufflepuff turned his attention back to his book.

"What about you Kuroko? Have you ever...?" Himora asked. The question was met with silence as all eyes turned on the silver-haired boy. Akashi even propped himself up on his elbows to hear the answer.

"I like Agaven shakes. The vanilla flavoured ones are quite good," he said. His lack of inflection and emotion was astounding. The answer itself was even more astounding.

Akashi slipped off his elbows and onto his back. Momoi's mouth hung open in a very unladylike fashion and Himuro had subconsciously pushed his hair out of his eye to get a better look. It seemed like Kagami had gone into shock; he was quite pale.

It took a moment for them all to collect their wits, but when they did the students laughed for a solid two minutes.

"Always surprising," Akashi murmured, relaxing into his blanket position once more.

Unaware of how long he had been sleeping, Akashi was pulled into wakefulness by the loud cries of his Slytherin chaser, Takao.

"Guys!" the young man shouted, waving a parchment in his hand. Pretty impressive considering he was riding a rickshaw and pulling a tall, green haired Ravenclaw.

"Guys!" he repeated, too out of breath to say more as he approached. The young man behind him sighed and stood up as the little vehicle stopped.

"What on--"

"It's from our muggles studies elective," Midorima explained, cutting Kagami off.

"Guys," Takao panted. The parchment was snatched out of his hands and the Ravenclaw gave it to Momoi's outstretched hand. Her eyes grew large. She looked at each of them before speaking.

"Tryouts are in two days."

They were all silent, taken off guard.

It was Kuroko who finally spoke.

"Have you tried c-naps, Midorima-kun?"

The tall Ravenclaw flushed and turned away, spotting something very 'interesting' off in the distance.

"I'll take that as a yes." 


	4. As expected of an Akashi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tryouts, day 1.

Akashi sighed. Of course it was like this. The turnout was exactly as Momoi predicted. But that didn't make it anymore annoying. He adjusted his gloves and looked wearily around the pitch.

It was an exceptionally beautiful day. There were small, puffy white clouds and a bold blue sky. It wasn't too hot, nor too humid. The temperature was perfectly comfortable.

No, it wasn't the surroundings that made it unbearable. Nor the large turnout of students eager to watch and vote for their favorites (despite the fact that some of the Gryffindors were excessively loud and obnoxious).  It wasn't even the huge turnout of players for the tryout.

No, none of those things annoyed Akashi in the slightest.

What did bother him was the sheer number of students hoping to play chaser. It didn't surprise him really. Chaser was the most glamorous position in the game. You flew wildly, scored points and when your team won, it was generally because of you. All the positions on a team were important of course, but chasers were what every kid growing up wanted to be.

Seekers most just flew around the entire game and then were essentially shouldered with the burden of winning. Keepers bore the heavy burden of not losing; when they let goals past, everyone blamed them no matter how well they played. And beaters just flew around hitting the ball at people-- fun, but not glamorous. However, a chaser... that was the dream.

Out of the 50 students who were throwing in their hats for the all-star team, 30 wanted to be chaser. There were only 5 trying for keeper, 3 for seeker and 12 for beaters. But 30... really? Yes, 30 for chaser.

"Throw me the--woah!"

"I got it! I got--"

"Gee. This is harder than it looks."

Akashi cringed as he watched some of the 4th years try to toss the ball and fly at the same time. It was a struggle to say the least. None of those particular students were regulars on house teams, and some hadn't really played much before, but no one blamed them for trying. The all-star team was a huge honor, and you never knew what the professors were looking for. And, the whole student vote thing threw an interesting twist into the selection process.

But, the Slytherin captain was good (great actually) and popular (or feared) so he wasn't particularly worried about his spot. He was more curious to see who the two other chasers would be though.

"Galleon for your thoughts?" Kiyoshi Teppei offered him a large smile. The broad shouldered boy's eyes closed with the expression and his thick eyebrows were raised. "Sure are a lot of chasers today, eh?"

Akashi nodded and returned the smile, though his was significantly smaller (as it always was).

"Everyone wants to be a chaser, I suppose. Will you try for chaser, Teppei-san?" Akashi asked, not taking his eyes off the other players.

"Naw. That's just when I play with Hufflepuff. You know I prefer beater."

Akashi gave a quick nod.

"Yes, and you are quite exceptional at it."

Kiyoshi laughed out loud and pounded Akashi's back happily. The Slytherin didn't flinch, but was secretly surprised, and pleased, by the sixth year's complete lack of fear.

"I hope we'll get to play together," he offered amicably.

"I have faith in your abilities. Teppei-san," the redead said, turning to look at the Hufflepuff.

"So do I, Akashi-kun," the sixth year let out a short chuckle and excused himself. He flew across the field to join Kagami in batting warm-up.

At the far entrance, the Slytherin captain spotted his fellow chasers entering the stadium. He swung his left leg gracefully over his broom and flew smoothly over to them. As they saw him approach, they too mounted their brooms and took to the air.

After exchanging greetings, the newly arrived duo quickly appraised the field. Takao let out a long whistled.

"I guess I didn't realize just how popular chaser actually was," he said.

"Not too many good ones though," Himuro said with a small smirk.

"Yeah, but Shintaro is pretty incredible."

"And that Gryffindor. Hyuuga is it?"

"That other Ravenclaw isn't bad either."

"You mean Fukui-san?"

"Yeah."

Akashi hummed in agreement; his friends had assessed the field rather quickly. But as usual, they had not seen the complete picture which was actually odd considering Takao's notorious ability to attend to details, and Himuro's 'all-seeing' magical eye. Perhaps seeing the road to victory (including all its possible players) was Akashi's own special talent.

"You both have forgotten about Sakurai in Hufflepuff. He's timid, but an excellent distance scorer. The coaches will likely look for the best team, not necessarily the best player. Also, there's Izuki from Gryffindor; he isn't terrible either."

"Yeah, but Izuki's not as good as either of us. And who said we're not amazing team players?" Takao smiled and gestured towards himself and Himuro. The other Slytherin didn't speak as his eye made a few quick whizzes around the pitch.

"How many do you think they will take?" he asked, turning his gaze to Akashi. The captain's eyes flickered towards the coach, Professor Riko.

"The most he will take is five for chaser-- the three starters and two others incase of injuries and for substitutions. Maybe three beaters. I doubt they will take four. Two seekers, two keepers. Kuroko and Atsushi are almost guaranteed starting positions."

The other two students nodded and shared a look. Would they be in the top five?

Before they could dwell on the question, the headmaster announced the beginning of the trials.

"What a wonderful turnout!" he chuckled. "I wish each and everyone of you the best performance of your young lives. And seeing the determination on your faces, I would be honored if any of you were chosen to represent Hogwarts!"

At that, the crowd roared to life; all manner of player names were shouted in the ruckus. Akashi turned to smile at his two friends. Saying both looked a bit nervous was an understatement.

"And now," vice-master Aida announced, "we will begin with a obstacle course and a demonstration of flying abilities."

With a sweep of his wand, two identical obstacle courses were created, one on top of the other.

"Chasers, report to the upper course. Other positions, report below. This course will not be as simple as it may seem. There are hidden dangers; you must be agile, aware and adaptable," he chuckled an ominous baritone, "Some of you might decide not to come back tomorrow."

They hovered in the upper echelons of the stadium. The Slytherin trio was towards the end of the crowd of chasers. There was an excited chatter as the first players began to fly.

The course itself began with several hoops placed at various heights, and various distances apart. Some of them were ablaze with different colors of flame.

As players flew, 7th year beaters stood at the ready; they were allowed to hit two bludgers at each flyer sometime during their race through the obstacles. After the rings, the players needed to complete an abrupt and steep climb diagonally and touch a magical checkpoint several meters above (the lower course's climb veered in the opposite direction). The player was required to complete one loop-de-loop, the fly sideways on first their left then right side as they passed the last two check points.

It was relatively simple, but it was a race against the clock. If the racer was too slow, they would be transfigured into a frog-- only if they were incredibly slow. And, no one knew when the beaters would strike. Otsubo from Ravenclaw had exceptional power, and his fellow Ravenclaw, Nijumura, had notoriously good aim. But the more experienced chasers were grateful that they didn't have to deal with Kiyoshi Miyagi (who was notoriously hotheaded) or Kenichi Okamura, who was as strong as he was ugly (which is to say very...very).

"Yoweeeee!" a screech from below only confirmed their fears. Akashi took a deep breath and his friends shifted uneasily; they were nearing the front of the line.

"Ahhhh! Troll turds!" All of the chasers snapped to attention, eyes quickly spotting the fourth year who was in the course. That was also the fourth year who was currently on fire. It seems he hadn't passed with flying colors. As he landed, he was quickly swept away by the school nurse, still spouting expletives about dragon piss and horn swallows.

"Next," Professor Rika said, unphased.

The next fourth year who flew was an exceptionally fast young woman. She made it through the course unscathed by the fire or bludger in the fastest time of the day. The young Hufflepuff beamed and waved to her friends in the crowd.

Two more racers flew: one was knocked off of his broom by a bludger, and the other slipped on the loop and fell well into the other course before a professor caught her. An unlucky keeper candidate collided with her, leaving both of them a little worse for wear.

Next, a familiar, tall, green-haired Ravenclaw took to the course. Midorima wasn't known for amazing flying, but he was one of the best chasers in the school for a reason. Though it wasn't exactly his strength, he was still exceptionally fast (and surprisingly agile considering his size). When he finished the Ravenclaw crowd erupted, the only person who had beaten his time was the fourth year girl that had 'flown' through the course.

He stopped next to Akashi and the Slytherin captain gave him a small nod. Midorima nodded back politely, but hesitated. After a moment of standing in awkward silence, he cleared his throat.

"Ah. Good luck Takao-kun."

The Slytherin blinked then broke into a large grin. He clapped the Ravenclaw on the back.

"Thanks, Shin-chan!"

A small blush crept up the other student's cheeks. He turned away quickly and mumbled something before flying off.

"What did he say?" Himuro asked. He may have had a magical eye, but his hearing wasn't anything extraordinary. Takao smiled and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Ah, nothing really."

"He said, 'I hope you make the team,'" Akashi said with a small smirk, his eyes still focused ahead of him. "Also, catch me if you can boys."

With a sudden burst, he dove into the course, leaving his friends speechless. Akashi relished the rush of wind skimming his face. There was nowhere he felt more at home than in the air. Flying came second nature to him. His parents bought him his first broom when he was three and he had been flying ever since. The only thing he liked almost as much as flying was riding his horse. In the muggle world, that's what he did when he couldn't ride his broom.

It was often said that Akashi was the fastest flyer in the school, but the students have never seen an outright demonstration before now. You could hear the spectators hold a collective breath. But, most didn't realize that though the Slytherin was the best flyer at Hogwarts, it wasn't because of his speed. His eyes flashed--they were in for a treat. Akashi planned on pulling out all of the stops for his run through the course.

As he reached the first fiery hoop, he held out his hand and swept it through the ring. Some of the students gasped and a few screamed. They were right to. He held the broomstick in one hand, and a small green flame in the other. Without his friends noticing, he had cast a fireproofing charm on his glove (which also allowed him to contain it). Sometimes he couldn't help but feel extremely confident; he was the epitome of excellence in everything he did. He smirked smugly at the crowd's reaction and narrowed his eyes as he neared the next fire hoop. His fingers were spread wide as they cut through the bright red flames. With a flick of his wrist, the fire began to spin in a ring around his hand.

By the fifth flaming hoop, he had a small rainbow spinning furiously around his fist. The corners of his lips twitched at the 'ooh's and 'aah's of the crowd as he released his broom completely to touch the magical touchpoint. As he descended, a bludger with pinpoint accuracy flew towards the hand that gripped the broom handle. With a sharp turn, he caught the ball and used his momentum to slingshot it back to the beater who had hit it. Nijimura gave a seemingly angry shout but grinned as he caught the returned ball.

Akashi continued through the course and completed the loop de loop one handed. While he was upside down, Otsubo's bludger hit him square in the shoulder. But instead of resisting it, the Slytherin captain relaxed his body and let the force flip him around. He spiraled once before he was able to right himself and make a beeline for the finish. The crowd was deafening as his time became visible in the magical rankings.

His house professor, Eiji Shirogane, clapped him on the back.

"Very impressive Akashi-kun," the elderly professor said. It was rare that he spoke and he was notoriously strict so it was truly a compliment to hear praise come from his lips. His deep voice rumbled again, "let's hope your teammates do half as well as you."

He nodded toward the pitch and left Akashi alone to watch. Though not quite as fast as Midorima, the two Slytherin chasers made it through the course quickly and unscathed. As expected, they and Hyuuga were the top chasers. There were two unanticipated fourth years who also made it in amongst the fastest chasers.

On the course below, Kuroko had made it through extremely quickly, but also unseen. No one was sure whether he actually completed the course or not. Two of the other house seekers also made it through quite quickly. Surprisingly, one of those was Furihata, the Gryffindor substitute seeker. For the keepers, no one could hold a candle to Murasakibara. Despite his size, he had the fastest time on the course. Several bludgers finished the course without being knocked down, but only Teppei, Riko and Kagami had any sort of speed.

Akashi silently slitted the team with the results of the day. And as he thought, the chaser positions were still the most contested and unsure on the all-star team. But although the other players took to the course admirably, he knew his own performance was by far the most impressive--he had planned it that way.

He made his way to Momoi, Kuroko and his other friends were waiting under the stands. He readjusted his prefect pin and glanced at his Ravenclaw friend's; her long (currently) green hair hid the badge almost completely. Among their friends, they were the only two prefects. But they were also the best at magic, the best academically and the best liked by the professors, so it wasn't really surprising. As soon as he was within range, she threw herself over his shoulders.

"You were amazing, Sei-chan!" she gripped him tightly and his lungs lost their ability to inflate.

"Ridiculous really," Kuroko noted. The Slytherin captain gave him a sideways glare; there was more amusement than malice in it.

"I really liked it, Aka-chin," Murasakibara said while eating a chocolate frog. He offered one to Akashi who refused politely. The Slytherin captain was more focused on his lack of air than sweets.

"Satsuki," he wheezed, "I can't...breath."

With reluctance she released him and instead roped her arm through his.

"Let's celebrate. Hey, Mido-chan!" she waved enthusiastically at the stoic Ravenclaw. Next to him, Takao was grinning happily. Though he couldn't hear what they were saying, Akashi could tell his teammate was making fun of the tall chaser; Takao could never resist goading the other young man.

"We could go to Hogsmead," Himuro suggested. His eye spun gently to gauge everyone's reactions.

"Sure. Kagami's treat," Kuroko said flatly.

"My--wha--"

"Thanks Kagami!"

"You're the best!"

"Wow, how generous!"

"You're such a gentleman."

The slew of gratitude was piled on with excellent timing; the Gryffindor couldn't get a word in edgewise. He sputtered for a few moments then conceded. It was hard to argue when your father was one of the richest wizards in America.

"A lovely gesture, Kagam-kun," Akashi said quietly as he patted the other student's shoulder. "But please," the redhead whispered, leaning closer, "hold your liquor this time. We don't want Murasakibara having to carry you back again, do we?"

The Gryffindor's blush rushed to the tips of his ears. Had it been anyway beside Akashi who spoke, he may have argued, but instead he nodded meekly. The Slytherin prefect had a way of intimidating him that most did not. Though he feigned bravery, he was generally as terrified of Akashi as the next student.

As they walked to the small village, each one had a similar idea floating cautiously at the back of the minds.

"Tomorrow, it starts again."


	5. Heart and Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short little update about a short little meeting.

The music flowed from his fingers and echoed through the empty room. Today, its ceilings were vaulted with gothic arches, and gentle streams of sunlight filtered through the dirty stained glass. The dust particles floated lightly in the warmth of the colored beams. There was a music conservatory on campus, but he didn't really like to deal with the other students when he played and the atmosphere there was nothing compared to the complete sense of peace he felt here.

Akashi inhaled and pulled the rhythm into his body. It moved through him like a river, seeping through every cell. Every beat, every 'note, passed through him and pressed into the keys, creating a beautiful and classical melody. He began in a meadow, dancing lightly through the sounds, and slowly pushed the piece into a spring storm; Beethoven's 6th symphony had always been one of his favorites as a child and he was now skilled enough to emulate it on the piano. It wasn't exactly the same, but the feeling was definitely there. With a gentle sigh, he shifted into nocturne by Chopin. Its melancholy notes both soothed and saddened him.

Whenever the Slytherin prefect needed to relax or think, he turned to the piano. He had played the piano since he had learned to walk; his mother had always loved listening to him play. When she had fallen ill, he played for her for hours each day. His homework could wait until she fell asleep. Playing reminded him of her smile, but also of the cold reality that she was gone. It was often bittersweet for him.

A flicker of movement caught his eye.

"Ah. Kuroko-kun. Have you been here long?"

The silver-haired student shifted into view.

"Yes. The whole time."

Akashi continued to play gently and a smile pulled at the edge of his lips.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. I saw you coming in and I followed you."

The song flowed into a new, less depressing on, and after a moment the Slytherin spoke again.

"Did you find what you needed here?"

Though the redhead didn't look at his friend when he spoke, he knew Kuroko had raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, this is the room of requirement. So did it fulfill your needs?"

Kuroko turned his head, the faintest hint of pink on his cheeks.

"Ah. Yes. I was actually looking for you Akashi-kun. I wanted to speak with you."

With that the redhead finished the piece and turned to look at his friend.

"What is it that you needed to talk about, Kuroko-kun?"

Akashi's sharp eyes caught a small wince cross the other student's face.

"Hm. It's exactly that actually. I--" he paused. The redhead waited, curiosity peaked. It wasn't often that his friend hesitated. The Hufflepuff seeker was famous for his bluntness and lack of shame when speaking. It was an admirable, if not sometimes stinging, quality of his.

He blinked, then began again, "It's been awhile since we talked."

It was Akashi's turn to blink. A small chuckle escaped his lips, and he smiled.

"Has it? I thought we talked yesterday."

A small frown graced the Hufflepuff's features.

"Yes, that's true. But, I meant more than just small talk."

"Ah, I see."

"Because you've been gone so long," the silver-haired boy suddenly blurted.

The Slytherin's forehead furrowed, eyes looking into the distance. He nodded.

"I'm sorry for that my friend. It was... difficult to return."

"I understand. For a long time, you called me Tetsuya."

"Yes. I'm sorry I was rude."

The large round eyes met his own as he looked at his friend. Amusement danced in them.

"Actually, that's why I wanted to talk."

He bowed slightly, "Akashi, please continue to call me Tetsuya."

The redhead shifted in his seat. It was obvious that this request was important to his friend.

"It would be a little strange in front of other students. But, I can use your given name when we are alone. Is that acceptable, Tetsuya?"

"Yes. Thank you."

Kuroko bowed again and picked up his bag.

"I'll leave you to playing. I need to meet Kagami-kun to study in the library."

"It's alright," Akashi stood, slinging his own bag over his shoulder, "I'm meeting Satsuki there as well to go on our rounds. Also... you can call me Seijuro if you like."

He tried valiantly to suppress the blush that crept up his neck. But, let's face it, even a blush was no match for Akashi if he tried hard enough.

His Hufflepuff friend shook his head and raised his hands in an x decidedly.

"No."

His answer was so final, that Akashi had no response. He was speechless (a rarity).

"Ah. Okay then."

The two walked in silence as the descended the long staircase, heading for the library.

"So, you're studying with Kagami?" he knew it sounded pathetic even as he thought the words in his head, but he couldn't help himself. The Slytherin tried to convince himself that he hadn't spoken out of jealousy. It was tough to convince yourself of a lie when you were the one telling yourself the lie. He kicked himself mentally.

"Ah. Yes. We're both terrible at runes and charms actually, so Otsubo-sempai is tutoring us. And in return, I'm teaching his little sister how to be a seeker."

"She's a 4th year for Ravenclaw, right?"

The other student nodded, "She's planning on trying for the team next year."

They continued in silence another minute or so.

"Do you have any friends at the other schools, Ku-Tetsuya?"

The Hufflepuff's lips twitched slightly.

"Actually, my cousin attends Beauxbatons."

"Cousin?"

"My mother's friend's son. They are very close, so she is basically my aunt and he, my cousin. My mother was a student at Beuxbatons."

"Oh, I had no idea. Why did you choose to go to Hogwarts?"

Akashi greeted passing students as Kuroko spoke.

"I wanted to come to Hogwarts. There are interesting people here."

Unsure of what the Hufflepuff meant, but feeling strangely pleased, the prefect just nodded. They reached the library doors where the Ravenclaw prefect was waiting.

"Tetsu!" she blustered and jumped on the Hufflepuff.

"Please don't, Momoi-kun," he mumbled trying to push her off. When he succeeded, he wandered into the library with a wave.

"Yes, please don't," Akashi said when the young man was out of earshot. Satsuki giggled and bubbled happily.

"Sei-chan. Don't you approve of my taste in men?"

"Approval isn't the issue," the Slytherin prefect began walking, unwilling to continue that particular conversation. The Ravenclaw bounced to catch up and grabbed his arm. Her long pink hair cascaded over her shoulders as she moved.

"Pink is a good color on you," he commented off hand.

"Green looks pretty nice on you too," she grinned. 


	6. Of Panthers and Parchments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things' a 'brewin'... and the new team.

As his eyes spotted his name on the enchanted parchment, he allowed himself a small smile. The yellowed scroll was spread horizontal. On the left was the roster of newly announced Hogwart's all star quidditch players, and on the right the parchment cycled through a small image of each player accompanied by their name, house, year, and position. Every so often, one of them miniature players would fly from the paper and do a quick fly about the hall where the students had gathered.

Akashi met Momoi's eyes just as a tiny Kagami flew past her face, yelling excitedly as it rushed past the tip of her nose.

"Oooray, ooray, ooray!" it squeak-roared. The pink haired Ravenclaw swatted at it and the little guy gave a yelp before he disappeared in a small puff of smoke. The parchment quickly changed to show an image of Riko, though the mini-player seemed content to simply wander to the second half of the parchment and pursue the list of players. It sat on its broom, hand on its chin nodding at the choices the professors and students had made.

The Slytherin made his way to his friend through a sea of polite congratulations. To be honest, no one was surprised that he had made the team. His first day of tryouts and subsequent stand out performances during the second day's skills test and third day's scrimmage had proven that he was without a doubt the school's best seeker.

Before he had quite reached her, Momoi closed the gap between them and almost knocked him off his feet with the embrace. His hands were held out in surprise for a moment before he hugged her back.

"Congratulations, Sei-chan! I knew you'd get it, but to be captain, too? That's just amazing."

She practically emulated rainbows and sunshine. In fact, somewhere in the middle of talking about Akashi's performance in the scrimmage, her hair swirled into a pastel swirl of colors. A couple of Slytherin girls glared at her, but hurried away when they saw the look in Akashi's eye.

He watched them leave with satisfaction before he spoke.

"Thank you, Satsuki. I truly appreciate the praise. Will you take lunch with me?"

She laced her arm through his and offered him a warm smile. They headed for their favorite spot. Before Akashi could speak, she began dissecting the players and offering her insight on the newly formed team. She knew he would inevitably ask for her scouting report, thoughts, and assessment; she had prepared.

The Slytherin climbed out the window and onto the roof first and turned to offer her his hand as she spoke.

"Shin-chan was also a pretty obvious choice. He can make anything. Since he's a distance and clutch shooter, it's no surprise they didn't take Sakurai for the team," she said as they walked. "And of course you would be chosen as chaser. You're an amazing playmaker and best flyer in the school," she paused as she deftly stepped over a small nest. Akashi was close on her tail.

"As for the other two chasers, I don't know who will start, but Takao is certainly the reason that Izuki from Hufflepuff wasn't chosen."

Her eyes met his with a shimmer of vicarious pride, "And I can't believe all three of your chasers made it. Himuro looked like he was going to cry when he found out. Muro-chan took him to the kitchens to celebrate before lunch started."

She waved off-handedly and Akashi nodded; of course the chaser's best friend would want celebrate with treats. If he wasn't mistaken, the redhead had seen some of the older Hufflepuffs going with them. And also, a certain silver-haired seeker and that idiot, Kagami.

"It's no surprise he's the new Keeper. Tetsu as starting seeker is also a very obvious choice. I'm a little surprised that our seeker was chosen as a back-up," she tapped her chin a moment, but suddenly beamed and spun on her toe, "I'm so proud of Kensuke-sempai!"

Akashi struggled not to roll his eyes. He knew how much she admired the sixth year prefect and Ravenclaw seeker, Kensuke Fukui. Though for the life of him, he couldn't understand why.

"Actually," she continued with a giggle, "our house did quite well. All of our non-seventh year players were chosen. I guess Slytherin and Hufflepuff also have three players though. Kiyoshi is an excellent beater, but also a great chaser and possible keeper. I'm sure that's why the coaches didn't put Hyuuga on the team, even though he is excellent. And also why they didn't chose a back-up keeper. With Kagami and Riko as the other beaters, the roster is very strong."

"Wouldn't it be fine to keep Hyuuga and another keeper though?" Akashi wondered as he settled into his seat.

Momoi slid her hands down her robes to adjust them before sitting as well.

"Oh yes, it's fine. But, since we're the host school, the number of players we put on our team determines the number of players the other schools are allowed. Strategically, if we can have a strong yet reliable team with fewer numbers, it would potentially make it more difficult for other schools who may not have as flexible of players. Kiyoshi is an excellent weapon in that respect. He could be used to match up in any number of situations."

"Why do you think they kept an alternate seeker? Kuroko is more than capable."

The Ravenclaw smirked to herself at that last comment; the other boy was too busy looking for the Hufflepuff on the grounds below to notice his friend's expression. Akashi may have been one of the only students who might have actually been able to spot the nearly invisible young man had he been down there.

"Well, Kensuke-sempai is also a good chaser. He used to be the Ravenclaw playmaker before our last seeker graduated. Plus, he's good at keeping Shin-chan at a more personable level-- instead of being a total jerk."

At that, Akashi let out a small chuckle.

"I've never found Shintarou to be dislikable."

"That's because he respects you. And you've been friends for years."

The Slytherin captain nodded. It was true after all. The two students had actually met at a wizard's chess tournament long before they had even entered Hogwarts. Of course Akashi had won, but that didn't stop Midorima from sending him the occasional letter to challenge him. Their mothers had actually become quite good friends before the redhead's had passed. They had even gone on a few mother-son outings together.

Midorima was actually the first to notice something was wrong with the Slytherin captain in their second year. He was also the first to join the quidditch club that Akashi had created their first year and the vice-president of said organization.

Just then, Akashi's thoughts were interrupted by a deep rumble as the castle began to shake. He quickly wrapped his arm around his friend and pulled her close to him. Bits of food and their drinks skittered off the roof as the tremors grew stronger. After a few seconds, they stopped, but not without causing some minor damage to the roof and their lunch.

An unshakable feeling that something was amiss crept up his spine and over his the nape of his neck. But nothing around them felt ominous at all-- certainly not the white fluffy clouds in the brilliantly blue sky, nor the heat of the afternoon sun.

Momoi peaked out from her crevice in his shoulder.

"Is it over?" she asked meekly. Her hair had turned a bright white.

"Yes, I think so," Akashi replied, loosening his grip slightly.

"Thank you, captain," she mumbled into his robes before pulling away. In an instant, her hair returned to its naturally (if you could call it that) pink state.

"You know, you don't need to call me captain anymore. None of you do," he sighed. Her eyes met his and her tone grew serious.

"But you're our captain. And you always will be, Sei-chan."

Resigned to her will, as usual, he change the topic.

"What do you think that was?"

Momoi tilted her head in thought, then suddenly laughed.

"I bet it was another one of Riko's potions."

"Ah. You're probably right."

Momoi stood and walked towards the window, clearly still shaken despite her efforts to hide it.

"On another note, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang are arriving in the morning. You'll get to meet Dai-chan!"

"Great," mumbled Akashi, gathering their things.

"What was that?" the Ravenclaw raised an eyebrow.

"I said that will be excellent Satsuki. I look forward to it."

She gave an agreeable hum and bounced towards the window. Akashi sighed and was silently grateful no other students were around to take in her eye catching display.

Throughout the rest of of the day, he didn't really think about the arrival of the other schools, but as he lay in bed in the evening it seemed that was the only thing on his mind. That is, until a small scroll on his bedstand began to glow. He and Momoi had created the enchanted object and its counterparts as a way for they all to communicate. After all, even if they all had them (which they didn't), they couldn't very well use their cellphones at Hogwarts.

Instantly, he unrolled it and began to read the scrawled message. The letters formed in front of his eyes and he recognized the handwriting as soon as his name was complete.

 

_Seijuro,_

_Meet by the lake. Something to show._

_-Kuroko_

_P.S. Yes, Himuro and Takao can come._

_Use the dungeon door in three minutes. Hanimaya's on duty. He's asleep._

 

The words faded as soon as they were read.

"Well that's convenient," Takao chirped from his bed. He had his own parchment in his hand and his legs swung over the edge of his bed. He had been obviously spying on Akashi's message before receiving his own. His paper had revealed the message as soon as his name was written. Himuro groaned slightly as he shifted.

"I was having a good dream."

"You don't _need_ to come," Akashi said as he stood. His lips twitched as his friend rolled out of bed with a growl. He knew the other Slytherin couldn't resist some sort of secret adventure.

"Do you think Shintarou is coming?" asked Takao as he tied his converse.

"His name wasn't on the parchment, so it's unlikely," the redhead commented, "there's an extensive dark arts exam tomorrow that he's probably focused on."

"Ah. Shouldn't we also be focused on that?" Himuro asked grumpily.

"Focus if you want. I'm seeing what this something is," Takao said with a grin as he slipped out of the room.

"Fine," Himuro said as his magical eye rolled, "see you there, Akashi."

A group of merpeople eyed the trio while they swam quickly in and out of view past the window. Their forms were barely visible by the soft glow the embers in the room's fireplaces created. It wasn't uncommon to see the creatures, but they generally only approached in the day.

The two Slytherin paid no mind and stepped lightly towards the secret passage next to that large glass panel that looked into the lake. Because of the marauder's map Momoi had given Kuroko, all of their friends knew secret passages in and out of their respective house dorms.

But, being the prefect that he was, Akashi didn't need to bother with them. With a stretch of his arms, he strode casually out of their common room and into the darkened hallway. At this time of night, only the seventh year prefects and a few teachers would be patrolling the halls.

As he stepped in a puddle, he heard steps approaching. Taking a deep breath, he put on his most polite smile.

"Akashi-kun. What brings you out in the middle of the evening?" Professor Nakatani began.

"Hello professor. Hanimaya isn't feeling well so I'm taking over his duties."

"Is that so?" the professor eyed him skeptically, but the Syltherin's reputation preceded him. He was, after all, the best and 'most responsible' student in his year. At last, with a shrug the professor responded, "As you were then," and continued down the hall. After he turned the corner, Akashi began a brisk jog. The delay meant he'd need to pick up the pace to arrive at the same time as his friends.

As he slipped through an arched passage, he almost stopped. The moon cast a shimmering light on the damp grass and seemed to light his path to the lake. With a little effort, he spotted his Hufflepuff friend leaning against the large boulder a few feet from their usual meeting place. The young man's silver hair shone much like the ambient light of the evening. The Slytherin could've sworn Kuroko himself was glowing for a moment.

After a moment, he spotted two dark figures approaching the stone from the opposite side. Himuro's eye must've spotted their friend. They slowed and their shadow cloak almost completely hid their approach. Akashi slipped on his own hood and everything became a little darker and hazy. Much like its namesake, a shadow cloak made you feel as if you were inside a shadow. It didn't work too well in the daylight, but in the evening you could blend right into the darkness around you.

As they drew near, Kuroko put his finger to his lips.

"It's there," he whispered, gesturing to small bank about two hundred meters away. The trio removed their hoods to clear their vision and stared intently where the other young man pointed. At first, none of them (not even Mad Eye) saw anything. Takao scowled in quiet frustration. But, after their eyes began to adjust, Himuro gasped. Then, the other two saw it.

It. It was a large black panther with silken fur that shimmered a dark blue-black in the moonlight-- midnight was the only way to describe the color of its fur. They had only spotted it when it had moved like a lightning strike to capture a large and unlucky fish.

"Regular fish," Kuroko mumbled; only Akashi heard him. The redhead nodded.

"You would know," he quietly added with a small smile. Without responding, his stoic friend made it a point to turn his unbridled attention to the big cat.

Akashi had found out that the Hufflepuff's mother was an expert in aquatic magical creatures last year. He had used one of her published scrolls to write his final paper for creatures class. But since he hadn't really been himself, they hadn't really spoken of it. The Slytherin made a mental note and added that item to the growing list of topics that he hoped to converse about.

The large animal prowled a little before tucking into its meal.

"Could it be Kagami?" Akashi mused jokingly. Both Himuro and Kuroko shook their heads quickly and seriously.

"His medicine let's him control himself, even in that state," the Slytherin whispered.

"Even during the full moon, which it's not," Kuroko added. For some reason it irked Akashi whenever the other boy spoke of his Gryffindor friend and rushed so quickly to defend him.

"What do you think its doing here?" Takao whispered. The other students flinched. For some reason, even when he spoke softly, the chaser's voice carried.

Apparently, the large animal also thought the young man wasn't quiet enough. The large cats' ears perked up. Its gaze settled on them. None of the students moved.

But that wasn't good enough.

Within moments, the panther had closed the gap. Before they could react, the animal had swept Himuro to the side and knocked Takao over roughly. Its jaw wide, teeth gleaming with syliva, the beast turned on Kuroko. Just as it lurched forward, the tip of Akashi's thumb touched the cool metal of his ring and the world began to move.

His stomach turned as he was pulled backwards through the watery image of his surroundings. The world quickly snapped back into place.

"...it's not," his Hufflepuff friend had just finished saying.

Before the young man's lips had even begun to move, Akashi's hand clamped itself firmly over Takao's jaw.

"I don't know what it's doing here," the Slytherin captain whispered calmly. Himuro blinked a couple of times, then shrugged and turned back to watching the beast. Takao's eyes were wide at having his question answered before he had even spoke. He looked back toward the lake and silently grumbled about his captain 'doing the thing' again.

"Thank you, Akashi," said Kuroko quietly. The odd sense of deja-vu he felt assured him that the redhead had indeed used his ring. If he had, something must've gone wrong. Maybe later, when the Hufflepuff wasn't feeling so unnerved, he would ask his friend what had happened.

After watching the animal for a few minutes, it stalked off into the forest, picking up speed as it left. Akashi let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding.

"Well, that was cool!" Takao said as quietly as he could manage. He pulled his cape on before the group stood and stretched. Himuro yawned and rubbed his eye before donning his own hood.

"Yes. Fun," the redhead replied, a small frown on his lips. The two other Slytherin's had gone ahead towards the passage. Both were too excited about what they'd seen (and exhausted by the late hour) to notice their friend's darkened mood. They disappeared into the brick wall as they slipped into the camouflaged passage. But before he could follow them, a cool hand gripped his forearm. It sent a jolt down his spine, though he didn't visibly react.

His silver-haired friend looked at him earnestly.

"What happened?"

Any apprehension that Akashi felt, melted away. He smiled warmly at the Hufflepuff.

"It was nothing really. I just wanted to keep Takao from disturbing the creature."

The blue eyes met his own and held his gaze. Akashi could see the gears turning in his friend's head. He guessed that they were trying to decide whether to play along with the charade or call him out. To the Slytherin's surprise, they decided on neither.

"Thank you then, Seijuro," the hand on Akashi's forearm gave a small squeeze and the redhead did his best not to react.

"Of course, Tetsuya. Thank you for inviting us."

The implied 'me' was left unspoken.

With a short nod, the young man released his arm and turned towards his own dorms. Even as his eyes followed him, the Hufflepuff seemed to fade in and out of existence. The words caught in Akashi's throat, but he manage to speak just before the other teen was out of earshot.

"Let's meet another night. We have a lot of catching up to do."

The phenomenon returned. As it did earlier, the moonlight caught his friend's hair just right, and the young man seemed to glow a gentle silver. An unreadable expression crossed his face before he finally responded.

"Yes. I would like that."

And with that he left, leaving Akashi to pondering the shimmering trail he seemed to leave and whether or not it was all in the Slytherin's imagination. 


	7. What Dreams May Come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's he-re.

_The grass on the pitch was thick and green. It was the end of damp spring and the beginnings of a hot summer. Akashi shielded his eyes as he watched Midorima fly above him._

_"Your throwing form is impeccable, Midorima-kun, but you'll need more agility to dodge well-placed bludgers. Please accompany Murasakibara-kun on weaving drills once more."_

_"But Aka-chin, I already do them quickly. I'm almost as good as you," the giant protested._

 

Akashi's fists clenched as he remembered the familiar feeling he had, like someone or something was trying to force open the doors of his mind. It had first come like a chilled breeze when his mother had died, but slowly the pressure had come more often and more intensely. Like every other time, he had ignored the pitt in his stomach that day.

His eyelids moved as he delved back into his dream.

 

_"If you beat your previous speed, I'll give you a chocolate frog."_

_The Hufflepuff's eyes lit up and he flew off to complete his task. The Slytherin turned his attention to his housemate._

_"Takao-kun, your vision is excellent, but you'll need to increase your speed. As a playmaker, you must be quick."_

_The Slytherin grinned and gave a thumbs up as he and Haizaki began sprints around the pitch._

_Furihata and Kuroko were practicing ball control as they stood. Neither had very good aim nor strength. It was that day that Akashi made a suggestion to the both of them._

_"Have you considered seeking?" he smiled fondly at the duo. They looked at each other like lumos had been cast in their minds. "Here, Furihata, try to catch this snitch. That is your goal today," he said as his fingers released the golden ball. The young man took off as Akashi approached Kuroko._

_"You have another very special skill you could utilize. In fact, it's a part of who you are," the Slytherin said. His friend thought for a moment before speaking._

_"And you think that will help me be a good seeker?"_

_"I think you could be the best, if you find a way to enhance your gifts."_

_The Hufflepuff simply nodded and flew towards Momoi, deep in thought. The Ravenclaw was on the edge of the pitch, watching everyone and gathering data._

_And as it did most nights, his vision began to swirl and move much like it did when he used his time turner. Only, instead, he seemed to be pushed forward accompanied by a steady stream of comments._

_"Midorima will be a better shooter than you soon. Better watch out, hehe!"_

_"I'm almost as fast as you, captain!"_

_"Murasakibara is really unstoppable."_

_"They'll give you a run for your money soon enough."_

_"Look out Akashi, you might not be the best second year anymore."_

_And though all of these things were said good naturedly, the effect on him had been immense- an overwhelming pressure against his temples and forehead like something was fighting to be freed. But in the end, it had nothing to do with quidditch._

_His surroundings slowed and finally steadied as he found himself by the lake at the beginning of his third year._

 

A cold sweat began to form on Akashi's brow as he slept. This part of the dream never ceased to be terrifying.

 

_"Mad Eye wanna be!" a fourth year shouted, her shrill laugh piercing the air._

_"Freak! Freak! Freak!" another Gryffindor joined in._

_"A pureblood with one eye, huh? You're not pure anything now," their leader chimed in. He was a burly fifth year with freckles painted on his chunky face._

_"Shut it!" Takao shouted, putting himself in front of Himuro. The other young man remained silent. His friends knew that he was too self-conscious about his loathsome eye to really defend it. As ridiculous as it seemed, back then he was actually ashamed of his gift._

_"Yes, please leave him alone," Akashi spoke, stepping forward. He brandished his wand._

_"Or what, shrimp? You going to cast something?" the older boy grinned and turned back to look at his friends. Suddenly, he turned around._

_"Sectumsempra!" he shouted. And before Akashi could react, he was covered in cuts. He grimaced and fell to his knees. It suddenly grew very quiet. No one moved._

_"Lacarnum inflamarae!"_

_A small fireball shot from the Gryffindor's wand. His look of menace had turned to one of pure hate. He wasn't just out to humiliate him--he was out to hurt Akashi. The students that had gathered were too shocked to act._

_"Aqua eructo!" the young Slytherin called. Blood droplets spilled to the ground as he swept his arm to cast the charm. A large stream of water erupted from the lake and followed his movements. But before it could hit its mark, the fifth year cast the spell the would change Akashi's life._

_"Diffindo," he spoke and with a flick of his wrist the water parted like the red sea._

_No one saw when the spell hit Seijuro. It ran like a cold thread down the center of his body from the crown of his head to his toes. And then, in his mind he heard the cracking and breaking of chains and felt an immense pain. In an instant, it was over and no one had noticed._

_His eyes suddenly grew wide and his left iris ignited into an orange-yellow color._

_"Expelliarmus," he said quietly. As the wand flew from the boy's hand, Akashi cast another spell that was too quiet to hear._

_"Brackium evanesco."_

_With that, his enemy screamed a blood curdling cry and collapsed to his knees. The bones in his ankles had disappeared._

_This dream had replayed often-- more often than Akashi would like to admit. But tonight, the ending was differed._

_He looked down at the young man, mesmerized as his skin began to bubble. And slowly, he recognized the new form. It was himself, with deep red eyes. Now, he was looking up from those eyes at the Slytherin who had cast the spell. The new captain's eyes burned orange and he grinned a wild, and toothy grin._

Akashi woke with a gasp as he bolted upright.

"You alright," Takao asked sleepily. It must've been well past midnight if his friend weren't alert. The other young man slept light unless it were extremely late. Which it was. His other roommate turned over, not quite as easy to disturb.

"I'm fine. Go back to sleep," the redhead replied softly.

"Mmm," was the articulate response.

Akashi swept his hand through his hair and looked at his damp palm. The new development concerned him. With a quick movement, he gathered a quill and his magical parchment.

 

_Satsuki,_

_I'm deeply sorry if I'm disturbing you. Can you meet me?_

_Seijuro_

_The response came quickly. The words painted themselves across the parchment with the delicate flourish of the young woman's penmanship._

_Sei-chan,_

_At our window in five._

_Satsuki_

 

He quietly slipped from his room, eyeing the two sleeping young men cautiously before closing the door. As he entered the common room, a group of mer people skittered away from the window. Tonight he would avoid the main stairs and climb through the chimney.

Because their dorms were in a dungeon, it was colder than most of the other houses. To rectify that, they had an especially large fireplace. One of the actual reasons for it's size was the spiral staircase that wound up and around inside the brick. The young Slytherin climbed those stairs, thinking of what he was actually going to say to his friend.

When he neared the window, he felt her arms wrap around him before he'd even noticed the sway of the shadow. She interlaced their fingers and pulled him quietly out the window. And so they sat and he told her everything.

"What do you think it means?" she asked finally. She sat with her knees tucked under her chin and her arms wrapped around her shins. Her eyes were pensive; they and her hair shifted to match the hue of the slowly saturating blue of the early morning sky.

Akashi sighed and turned to look at the lake waters, black in contrast to the deep blue of the sky.

"I don't know really. I thought it was gone for good, but..." he trailed off. He leaned his weight onto his palms behind him and stretched his legs in front of him. The sun had slowly began to creep up behind the castle.

"Satsuki. If something happens, don't trust me. If it returns, I'm sure it will be smarter. More dangerous," he tilted his head to meet her gaze, "Can you promise me?"

She nodded.

"Are you going to tell him?"

The redhead blanched then flushed slightly. He shook his head decisively.

"No. I don't want to worry him, for potentially no reason."

"What about Shintarou?"

"He's already in a panic about quidditch ruining his chances for good OWL marks. Plus he's started apprenticing in the infirmary this week. He doesn't need this to add on."

"The others then?"

Akashi's lips quirked.

"You know there's no one I trust as much as you."

She nudged him with her elbow and raised her eyebrows.

"Not even Tetsu?"

He gave her a slightly menacing, yet amused glare.

"I wouldn't classify what I feel for Tetsuya as trust."

The Ravenclaw giggled and leaned on his shoulder. Together they watched the sun's rays light the lake in silence. The rest of the days passed in the blink of an eye.

 

It was evening in the great hall when the thunder of the canons announced their arrival-- Durmstrang. The upperclassman didn't see the arrival of the large boat because they were too busy studying for final exams, but the younger students chattered with excitement at what they'd seen.

"It just burst out of the water... like bam!" one of the young Slytherin next to him said. He threw his hands in the air happily.

"It was a really nice ship," said another Slytherin girl, "the craftsmanship on the bow was impeccable."

"I'm sure my family could afford one," responded her obnoxious friend, a second year with too much pride for her own good.

Akashi yawned and heard the gentle creak of Himuro's eye as it rolled.

"I hate kids," Seto, their onry sixth year beater, mumbled.

And then, the great hall grew silent. Professor Takeda had taken his place by the podium.

"I would like to present. The proud and honorable Durmstrang Institute of Magic."

The last syllable left his list and the doors burst open with a wall of flames. The tips of the fire flickered and fanned out into the great hall like long serpents. Surprisingly, they weren't hot in the slightest.

The students gasped oohs and aahs as the first Durmstrang students entered. They alternated between acrobatic feats and uniformed marching. A few of them spewed fire tens of feet into the air, while others still did front flips and cartwheels. Some used each other for leverage to launch several feet in the air. With a particularly loud growl, a blond young man threw himself into a backflip and the same cooled flames shot from his feet.

"Thank you old friend!" a handsome man leading the pack said with a small smile. His curly hair fell over his eye and he flicked it with his fingertips. He met the headmaster with a firm handshake and gestured to his students. They bowed in unison and shouted,

"Durmstrang thanks you for your kindness and hospitality."

Akashi noticed there was one young man who moved far less enthusiastically than the others. The same blond boy who had done the backflip nudged the reluctant student none-too-gently, and the tanned boy begrudgingly bowed deeper. Near them, another blond young man sniggered, and the Slytherin caught a glint of a snaggle tooth.

"Oh, ho ho ho," Professor Takeda chuckled, "It's our pleasure. Isn't that right?"

With that, the Hogwarts students began cheering loudly and chanting the other school's name. After the ruckus died down, they sat at a slightly smaller table to the right of the professors' table, and in front of the Hufflepuff house.

At the Ravenclaw table, Akashi could already tell Momoi and Riko had begun taking furious notes. They were conversing among themselves, undoubtedly about the newly arrived players. In total, there were about fifty Durmstrang students who had come. The majority were young men, but there were at least a handful of ladies at the table.

"Please, everyone, enjoy your meals!" Professor Riko shouted. And when he thought no one was looking, he blew his daughter a kiss... that she resolutely ignored.

While the students were eating, Momoi made her way to the new table. And as Akashi could have guessed, the large, tanned young man-- who had been so apathetic earlier-- stood to greet her. He rubbed the back of his head as she spoke. The redhead guessed his friend was scolding him. The young man shrugged his shoulders and Satsuki suddenly gave him a hug before returning the the Ravenclaw table. Some of the other students eyed him jealously. A lot of young men would kill to be on the receiving end of one of Satsuki's pillowy hugs.

But as Akashi observed him, something felt off about the Durmstrang student. The redhead couldn't put his finger on it, but that young man was definitely different. 


	8. Firey Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now the gang's all here.

_It progressed like it did the night before._

_The world spun in a blurred, twist of color and voices as he was pushed forward._

_"Midorima will be a better shooter than you soon. Better watch out, hehe!"_

_"I'm almost as fast as you, captain!"_

_"Murasakibara is really unstoppable."_

_"They'll give you a run for your money soon enough."_

_"Look out Akashi...Akashi...AKASHI...AKASHI!"_

"Akashi."

The Slytherin's red eyes snapped open and he inhaled sharply.

"Ah, sorry captain. Did I scare you?"

Standing next to him, Takao had a sheepish grin on his face. He rubbed the back off his head with his hand that held his quill and in the other hand--

"You got a message. I thought you might want to know."

Akashi pushed himself into a sitting position as the other boy reached out.

"Of course. Thank you, Takao-kun. I appreciate it."

The other teen nodded and moved back to his small desk. Tomorrow was the OWL for charms and most of the fifth years were studying frantically. Himuro was likely still in the common room working by the fire. Fortunately, charms was one of Akashi's best subjects; he wasn't stressed about it all. But because of the night before, he had been exhausted all day and fallen asleep much earlier than usual. There were more troubling things swimming around in his thoughts than tests.

He unfurled the parchment deftly.

 

_Seijuro,_

_Something new by the lake. Are you free?_

_Tetsuya_

_Tetsuya,_

_I'll be there shortly._

_Seijuro_

 

It still felt strange to write his own first name. He shrugged off the strange twinge of discomfort in the back of his mind and glanced over at his roommate. The dark-haired teen had his brow furrowed and his ever present smile had been replaced by a scowl.

"I suppose you'll be studying all night, Takao-kun?"

"Unfortunately," the other Slytherin responded, but paused to look up and offer a wink and a smirk. "Have fun though."

Akashi raised his eyebrow slightly, but returned a small smile. "I'm not sure what that means, but thank you. Good Luck with your studies."

Takao shrugged and turned back to his work, leaning over his cluttered desk. Quickly, the redhead pulled on a light jacket, slacks, and loafers and headed out.

As he had suspected, Himuro was sitting in his favorite armchair. There was a small stack of books on the coffee table in front of him. The young man was resting with his elbows on his knees looking over a particularly thick volume.

"I can't," he said before Akashi could speak, "Whatever it is, I can't. Have fun...you lucky dog." The last part was grumbled with an air of resentment.

The prefect couldn't help but chuckle. With an unseen wave, he told his friend good luck and walked out using the passage near the window (he couldn't be seen walking about without his robe as a prefect). Before he exited, he slipped on his shadow cloak.

Tonight, the moon wasn't quite as bright as it had been the last time. And that made it all the more difficult to spot his invisible friend. Akashi moved quietly through the cool night air, looking for the tell tale sway of the cape.

Under his feet, the ground gave more readily than usual. It had rained most of the afternoon so there were still a few puddles to be avoided. The air also felt more damp than usual and a small chill ran through him as a breeze picked up. That's when his red eyes saw a very slight flicker of darkness and he finally spotted Kuroko leaning against the large boulder.

As if he knew he had been spotted, the silver-haired boy slipped off his hood and looked towards Akashi. There was a small smile on his lips as the redhead arrived.

"Good evening A--Seijuro."

The Slytherin offered a small bow, "good evening Tetsuya."

A hint or crimson crept over the tips of the Hufflepuff's ears.

"I hope you're not busy. I thought you might want to see this," the teen turned and pointed towards an area near the forbidden forest. It was almost on the other side of the small lake-- quite difficult to see from this range. As if reading his thoughts, the Hufflepuff swept his cloak back on and moved around the lakes edge. Akashi followed without speaking.

They only moved about a hundred meters and stopped behind a tree. Both crouched down.

They were still quite a distance away from the area Kuroko had indicated, but before Akashi could say anything, he saw it. A flash of yellow.

He blinked. It moved again with unbelievable agility.

"Is that...is that a cheetah?" he asked incredulously. The lithe big cat moved so quickly, it could only be one thing.

Kuroko's eyes twinkled, "I think so."

"That's amazing," the other teen mumbled.

They sat in silence for a moment watching the animal dash about. Nearby, the same panther as before was stretched out, almost lazily, below a tree.

Akashi turned and with surprise he found the other teen's gaze was resting on him.

"Ah, sorry," the Hufflepuff flustered, "it's rare to catch Akashi off guard."

He laughed a little, but the redhead could see the fabric shifting where Kuroko gripped it.

"It's interesting," he added quietly.

This caught the Slytherin even more off-guard. Before he realized it, his hand put itself on the other student's shoulder to console him.

"It probably is, right?" he offered with a warm smile. And this time, Kuroko's blush was unmistakable. He turned away quickly.

"Maybe we should go back. I just... I just wanted to show you this, but I actually have a lot of studying to do."

His palm felt hot, and Akashi tried to move it quickly without seeming too strange. While he didn't want his friend to feel uncomfortable, he actually liked the feeling of other teen's shoulder. He groaned internally at how ridiculous he was being.

"Yes, that seems like a wise decision. Thank you for inviting me."

And with that, the stoic mask was back in place and the silver-haired student nodded nonchalantly before heading back towards the castle. But if Akashi wasn't mistaken, there was a slight spring in the young man's step. With that thought, he allowed himself a small smirk as he headed towards his own dorm.

Fortunately, the dream didn't return and he slept soundly through the night. The rest didn't quite fill the sleep gap he'd made the night before however and he woke up craving just a few more minutes (or hours). But, he was Akashi Seijuro, Slytherin prefect, quidditch captain, and top student--he was not going to yawn at the breakfast table no matter how much his mouth tried to convince him otherwise.  

"Sei-chan, they're here!" a familiar voice squealed from behind his back. A pair of lean arms wrapped around his shoulders and Momoi rest her chin on her arm for just an instant. To his credit, Akashi merely hmmm-ed politely and took a bite out of his toast. His eyes never left the financial section of the morning paper.

"Oi, Satsuki," came an annoyed bellow from nearby.

"Ok, ok," she responded, turning her head to look at the boy. Quickly, the blue haired girl gave him a quick peck on the cheek and spoke in a rush,"It's so fun to tease him." He smiled and squeezed her arm gently and the Ravenclaw ran to catch up to her onry companion. Without looking up, Akashi felt the tanned boy --Dai-chan was it?-- glare at him. The Slytherin raised his teacup in answer.

The Durmstrang student's eyes weren't the only daggered looks that pierced him. He even thought he caught a few of the Hufflepuff's looking his way.

"Fit for an emperor," a quiet voice mocked. Akashi's head snapped up, but couldn't find the source of the voice. Instead, his eyes fell upon his housemate.

"Sheesh, Momoi is popular," Takao grinned through a mouthful of pancakes. He was surprisingly chipper considering he had only slept three hours. On the other side of the teen, his other Slytherin friend seemed to be faring much worse. His good eye was closed and fork dangled precariously in his hand. Behind him, a gentle giant approached.

"Muro-chin, are you ok?" the Hufflepuff said as he munched on a waffle he was holding.

"Ah," the Slytherin snapped awake. His forked dropped to the table with a loud knock.

"Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry," he smiled. The bag under his eye was dark. Murasakibara leaned forward to inspect his friend's face. He frowned at what he found. 

"Do you need a snack? Maybe it will help."

Himuro shook his head, smile becoming gentle.

"No, thank you. I'll be fine as soon as this test is over."

His long purple hair swayed as Murasakibara nodded and walked back to his table. Just as he sat down, Professor Riko stood.

"If I could have all of your attention please," he cleared his throat, "l'académie de magie de Beauxbatons."

Instantly, the door of the great hall burst open.  

They stood in long, dark blue cloaks and every student's face was covered by their hood. At the front, there were three especially tall figures. From behind them, a tall, extremely beautiful woman swept past them. Her legs were exceptionally long and her chest exceptionally large-- even that tanned skinned heathen stopped eating to stare at her. The woman had long, straight blond hair and a pair of spectacles. She wore a confident smirk and a short skirt.

"Thank you for welcoming us to your fine school," the woman said with a slight accent. The students gave a stunned, but enthusiastic applause in response.

Her smile broadened and she spoke again, words rolling off her tongue, "And now, I present what you're really hoping to see."

She flicked her wrist and with a loud crack, the bottom edge of the students' robes caught fire. There were several gasps and a few yelps scattered throughout the hall, and the students watching held a collective breath. But there was something extraordinary about the flames. Besides the fact that they were an unnatural sky blue and white color, as they burned through the fabric instead of ash or charred material, blue flower petals fluttered into the air.

As at last their hoods caught aflame, the students caught their first glance at the model Momoi had spoken of, Kise Ryouta. He was irrefutably the most handsome young man that Akashi (or any of the other students for that matter) had ever seen. At first, all that was visible was his strong, angular jaw and the quirk of his lips. The smile he wore was small, but confident, and somehow extremely charming. And yet, it still felt warm and friendly. To the Slytherin captain, it seemed almost eerily perfect.

The flame revealed his golden blond hair, cut chunky and piecey. It fell just slightly into his eyes and had a kind of rebellious feeling to it and seemed like it dared you to smooth it out. In his left ear, there was a small dark blue hoop. Shit, even his ears were perfect.

But, the most shocking thing of all were the young man's golden eyes. Never had the Slytherin seen eyes of that hue-- it was quite unnatural really-- and that's when he realized that the student wasn't a mere human, he was Veela.

"So that's what one looks like," Himuro mumbled. His mad eye had stopped moving for once and was fixed on the student.

"But he must only be part," Takao added quietly, his gaze also focused, "because he doesn't have the super freaky glow or the pale skin."

And as Akashi paid more attention, he realized it was true. Though the model was white, his skin did have a healthy tone to it, like something not quite olive but not pink either. It was an amazing color and on top of that it was also incredibly smooth looking. None of the blemishes that boys their age typically had. Not even a sign that he had ever had one.

Akashi found himself getting sucked into Kise's very aura. He closed his eyes for a moment and refocused. This level of distraction was very unlike him. When he reopened his eyes, it seemed he had managed to get a hold of himself.

"I wonder how many of them are part veela...Is it true that the school is focused on modeling and entertaining?" Himuro asked with a small hint of wonder in his voice.

"Yeah, that's why they're all so disgustingly pretty. Looks and fun are all they have the capacity to think about," answered a condescending voice, "A bunch of lazy mudbloods. Worse actually. They've got creature blood mixed in there, too." Hanimaya, a sixth year beater, gave a little swirl of his finger and a chuckle.

"Please, share your ignorance with someone else," Akashi said coolly. The older Slytherin shrugged and feigned nonchalance, but the way Hanimaya's hand shook ever so slightly didn't escape his notice. The prefect lips twitched as he turned his attention back to the Beauxbatons students.

There were around forty members of Beauxbatons who had made the journey. Only fifteen, or so, of were boys. The rest were radiant young women. It wasn't strange really if it truly were a school for entertainers.

They didn't really share a common look, but they were all model level attractive. Dark skinned, olive complexion, freckled, and every eye color imaginable.  Their hair varied in lengths and colors. Even their body types ran the gambit-- short, tall, medium, thin, waify, curvy, busty, athletic; it was really quite an interesting phenomenon.

"We are so pleased to be here. Thank you for hosting us."

The students curtsied and bowed as they spoke. When they were finished, there was a loud welcoming chorus of cheers from both the Hogwarts and Durmstrang students.

The Slytherin noticed one dark young man, however, who seemed to be making it a point to stare into his cereal. His school mates were grinning and quite obviously checking out the plethora of females that had arrived.

With his keen eyes, Akashi also noticed that at the Ravenclaw table Momoi and Riko were gushing about the new arrivals, and Midorima had stiffened next to them. The Slytherin chucked at that; his friend was always sizing up the competition. Next to them, most of the Gryffindors were chatting happily, or had already returned to eating.

The Hufflepuffs were helping to guide the new arrivals to the table that had been placed in front of theirs. For some reason, Kuroko let out a sigh and Murasakibara gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder.

After they took their seats, the Hogwarts headmaster stood and put his wand to his throat. Sitting to the left of his podium were both headmasters for the other two houses. The blond woman seemed to been talking candidly about something that made the Durmstrang professor pull at his necktie nervously. They both turned their attention to Professor Takeda as he began to address the student body.

"Ah. Doesn't it feel better, now that we're all here?" his eyes crinkled shut as he smile and spread his arms. After a moment, he continued, "Our two guest teams will have a week to practice on our field and adjust themselves to our conditions. During this time, Hogwarts students will be finishing their OWL and NEWT exams. Team members will not be allowed to spend more than thirty minutes a day on quidditch until their exams are complete."

There was a collective groan from all of the house tables.

"I am also pleased to announce that at the end of the week there will be a celebration to begin the tournament. This will be a sort of dance, so those of you who are of age may want to begin considering who you will ask to accompany you."

The headmaster gave a small wink as he left the podium and there was a loud sputtering at the Gryffindor table. Every head turned to see Kagami covered in milk; his face was as red as a tomato.

Eventually the laughing died down and the students finished their means and headed to their respective classes.

The Slytherin trio began walking with their Hufflepuff classmates to potions; it would be the only class of the day as the charms OWL was to be administered after lunch. The group had only just managed to get to the lawn when Kuroko was practically knocked over.

"Kurokicchi! It's so good to see you!"

The voice was unsurprising melodious and rich. The Beauxbatons student to whom it belonged had wrapped their friend up in a constrictor-esque hug.

"Please, let me go Kise-kun," the young man wheezed.

"Ne, Kurokicchi, aren't you happy to see me?" he grinned (showing brilliant white teeth), leaving one arm slung over the Hufflepuff's shoulder.

"Sort of," came the flat response. The silver-haired teen dodged out of the other's grip.

"Hmm. Well, I guess that's better than no," the blond pouted to himself. His expression quickly morphed into one of practiced politeness and charm. "Are these your friends?"

Kuroko blinked and gave a short nod.

"Ah, yes. Sorry," he went around the circle introducing them all. Each student took turns shaking Kise's hand or bowing in greeting. But before Kuroko could introduce him, Kise addressed Akashi.

"I've heard a lot about you from Kurokocchi, Akashicchi," he said. The Hufflepuff averted his gaze and continued to speak with Murasakibara. The other student continued brightly, "You wouldn't know, but I actually heard you play once when we were first years. I attended a music recital that my sister was performing in. You were brilliant!"

And with that statement, the Slytherin knew that they would be friends. Not because of the music, or the praise, or the strange nickname--no definitely not that-- but at the incredible sincerity his words held. It seemed the model was more than just his pretty face.

"Thank you Kise-kun. I am flattered," he said as he accepted the outstretched hand.

As he spoke, a face with oddly feminine features came into view just behind the blond. He was one of the tall students who had been towards the front of the group (likely one of the quidditch players). He shoulder length black hair and long, thick eyelashes.

"And who's this, Ryouta-chan?" he spoke with a deep drawl.

"Ah, Mibuchi-kun. This is Akashi Seijuro."

"Seijurou-chan, it's a pleasure."

Akashi almost twitched at the use of his name. The corners of his mouth ached as he held his polite smile.

"Please. Akashi will do fine."

The other teen raised an eyebrow, then smirked as the licked the tips of his long canines. He had an unusually large (and sharp) pair teeth. 

"Akashi-kun, would you have time to give me a tour of the school sometime?"

Around them, the group grew conspicuously quiet. With a smile, the redhead responded.

"I'm sure the headmaster's tour will provide you with an adequate familiarity."

The other young man pouted for a moment and Kise turned away to roll his eyes. His voice dropped as his red eyes sparked as he spoke more imploringly. 

"But I was hoping for a more private tour."

The young man looked strikingly like Lord d'Eath, the eccentric singer. Red eyes met red and the Slytherin seemed to be in deep thought.

"Hmm. I suppose that can be arranged."

He saw Kuroko and Kise both stiffen, and the black haired teen grinned.

"I'm quite busy with exams, but I'm sure there's a third or fourth year who'd be happy to help," the redhead continued with a glint in his eyes. The Beauxbaton student's face fell.

"Oh. No. That's fine. There's no need to bother."

The disheartened teen acknowledged Kise with a wave and wandered away. The stifled a laugh and the others had already headed towards class-- the corners of Kuroko's mouth angled up ever so slightly. The blond hurried to catch up to his cousin.

"I'm coming with you today!" he gushed as he hung on the other's neck.

"No."

"Aw c'mon!"

"No."

"I'll be good."

"No."

"It will be fun."

"No, Kise-kun."

"Please Kuroki--"

_"Langlock."_

And Akashi smiled as the argument continued all the way to the classroom despite the model's inability to form words. Kise made a laudable effort even though his tongue was sealed to the roof of his mouth; he was surprisingly articulate in his sounds. When they entered the class, their blond new friend stood at the door and cast the counter charm, but didn't speak. His eyes were wide and he looked exactly like a puppy waiting for his master.

"C'mon Kuroko, just let him in. He looks so pathetic," Himuro commented with a yawn. His chin rest on his palm as his skimmed the text book. The other students in the class seemed just as sluggish; no doubt most were spending their prime sleep hours studying as well. 

The Hufflepuff glanced around the room and sighed. Reluctantly he waved for his cousin (of sorts) to come in. The blond practically bounded across the whole classroom. There was a deafening sea of whispers as some miraculous energy filtered through the students as soon as Kise moved through the door.

"You're like a superstar," Takao giggled to Kise as he walked past their row.

"I _am_ a superstar," Kise said with a wink. His laugh was just as beautiful as his voice or face. The girls in the class started giggling hysterically once he sat. He took an empty seat at the wall near Akashi. The model gave a few polite nods and smiles to the other students.

As the professor walked in, the blond leaned over and quickly whispered to Akashi.

"He's right. You really are handsome. You know that?"

With that he leaned back against the wall, leaving Akashi to wonder idly which 'he' Kise was talking about

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I was a bit slow to update; I was busy with real life. hehe. Also, it's looking like it'll be longer than the 12 chapters I originally thought. My apologies.


	9. Accidental Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you just need to man up and be honest. And sometimes you just do it accidentally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since the last update was pretty short, here's a quick follow-up. :D

"I'm sorry I've been M.I.A. He's such a handful," the young woman began, her long jet black hair fluttering in the afternoon breeze. As she spoke, a streak of grey drew itself beginning at the edge of her temple and trailing down, "I've really missed you though."

They were in their usual spot, high above the grounds. The sun was hidden behind a wall of clouds; it had barely shown itself the past couple of days. Even though it was lunch time, it could have been any time of the day--the light never changed.

Though it made for a comfortable temperature, the light was consistently grey. And in the late afternoon a slight haze (and a sense of foreboding) rolled from the lake and covered castle grounds. But, it was easy enough to ignore the eeriness of the weather when the opening match and summer festival just around the corner.

Maybe that was just the feeling Akashi got though.

Momoi's shoulders hunched a little as she pressed more weight into her palms. Her arms were locked and carried her weight. Her ankles were crossed in front of her as she stretched her legs uncharacteristically. Akashi knew the prefect only sat like that when she was exhausted.

From where his head rest on his arm on the shingles, he tipped his gaze upwards to look at his friend.

"I've missed you, too. But I understand, really," the redhead reached out and rest his hand soothingly on hers. "How do you know he's not getting into trouble now?" he teased. His skin was warm save for the space on his finger that his ring held. She grinned, almost laughing, and squeezed his hand.

"Look," she said, pointing to the quidditch pitch. Curious, Akashi pushed himself to a seated position and followed her finger.

It must've been Durmstrang's designated practice time. There on the pitch their unmistakable dark red uniforms looked like stains of blood on the grass.

"But I thought you said he didn't like practice," the Slytherin prefect mused. The tanned young man was easy to spot. Not because of his looks, but because of the incredible speed and agility with which he moved. As they watched, he threw a seemingly careless ball towards a defender, but as the other player approached the ball's spin dragged it unexpectedly around him and straight threw the ring.

"Impressive," the Slytherin mumbled. Momoi smiled proudly.

"Yes, he is. And you're right, he doesn't usually go to practice."

She said the last part with a hint of scorn and plenty of annoyance.

"He can be such a child...but he's a good guy really. He just hasn't had an interesting opponent in so long. I think he feels...bored, maybe even sad about it. Does that seem crazy?"

Akashi shook his head. It was easy enough to slip into boredom when you were better than everyone else. He sometimes felt that way about wizard chess at Hogwarts.

"It's not crazy," he turned to his friend as his eyes flashed in amusement, "believe me. I know crazy."

Momoi blinked for a moment. Akashi grinned and his eyes shut as he laughed. It was a genuine laugh from the depths of his chest and soon the Ravenclaw joined him.

She looked at him with a small sense of awe, and quickly turned away with a blush afraid to spoil the moment. To be honest, she hadn't heard that laugh since their second year. Having it spill from her friend's lips again was almost too good to be true.

"Well, anyway," she said, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "I hired a babysitter for the day."

Her amusement was undeniable and it was then that Akashi noticed an extra player next to the pitch. There, in her dark blue Ravenclaw jacket, stood Riko with a beater bat balanced between her hands. Every once and awhile, she would call out something that Akashi couldn't quite make out, then slap her palm with the bat. Even from this great distance, he could see Aomine flinch.

" I see. It must've been expensive," he said with a smile. He leaned back against one arm and pulled an apple from his lunch. As he took a bite, he felt Momoi's eyes assessing him.

"What is it? Something amiss, Satsuki?"

"No," she said carefully, "you just seem especially happy today."

To be honest, he felt especially happy.

"Maybe I just missed more than I realized."

The Ravenclaw's cheeks colored crimson, so much so that even the roots of her hair began to turn red. She looked away for a moment, but seemed like she came to a sudden realization. Her head snapped back and she looked at him, eyes squinting ever so slightly.

"You're going to ask him to the dance. Aren't you?" her eyes twinkled. She only smiled like that when she was extremely pleased with herself... which was actually pretty often.

Because he knew it would drive her crazy, he simply hummed in response.

"Oh, I knew it!" she jumped up and the wind decided to pick up right then. If not for the sticking spell, she'd have surely spilled off the edge. But, she was completely un-phased.

"When are you going to do it, Sei-chan?" she practically squealed. Confidence in her own magic undeniable, she spun on one toe despite the precariousness of their location.

"I'm not sure," he smiled, but faltered just for a moment, "do you think he would want to go with me?"

"Why? Because you're a guy?" she snorted ever so slightly, "that's not really a thing with wizards you know. But maybe since he was raised with muggles..."

His heart clenched a little at the thought. It was true that gender didn't particularly matter in wizard relationships, but muggles were another story. They seemed to find every possible reason to deny themselves of happiness or love.

She put her finger to her chin, and continued after a moment of thought.

"But I think it will be fine. I mean, you're you Sei-chan. You're amazing."

The Slytherin chuckled and took another bite of his apple, laying back on his elbows again.

"Hmmm. And will you go with Fukui-san?"

The other teen's eyes grew large.

"Oh no!" her gaze drifted towards the quidditch pitch slowly, "No. I'll go with Dai-chan. If I don't, he probably won't even go."

Her smile was fond. Enough so that it occurred to Akashi that he needed to meet this friend of his friend. He chuckled to himself again.

"I've never even met him you know."

Momoi put her hands on his knees as she dropped down.

"Really? I'm so sorry! He can be kind of an ass most of the time. I'll bring him around though," she smiled and reached to pull Akashi to standing. He moved his weight into her hands and pushed himself upwards.

"I'm not worried," he made a fist and held his arm ready. She looped her hand through his and they walked towards their herbs OWL. But despite their warmth, the day didn't get any brighter.

It was a terribly boring affair, as most tests were, though there was one highlight. Somewhere during the second hour of the test, Midorima sneezed.

"Bless you, babe," came the quiet, but immediate response.

The Ravenclaw's face turned beet red and his eyes widened; he redoubled his efforts to stare at whatever question he was on. And all those who had heard, discreetly turned to look at the speaker.

Unfortunately for that particular student, though he thought he was being quiet, the young man had an unusually loud voice. One might say it was piercing, in fact.

It took the Slytherin a moment to notice that he had the room's attention. Eyes focused intently on the parchment in front of him, he had shifted his shoulders and tapped his pencil a few times before he had finally looked up.

"Oh," Takao said. He managed to turn an even deeper shade of crimson than his friend. But it quickly dissipated and instead a large sheepish grin grew in its place. He shrugged and went back to his paper. The class sniggered and for the first time since their OWLs began, all of the stressed out fifth years seemed relaxed.

Satsuki caught Akashi's eye and mouthed,

"I told you."

She held up her finger with a smirk. And he reluctantly nodded, though the amusement was clear on his lips. After the test was finished, he knew he would have to treat her to a butterbeer... and Himuro...and Murasakibara...and Kagami. In fact, only Kuroko seemed to have lucked out, but that was simply because he believed Midorima was incapable of human emotion.

Before long, the test was over and the students were shuffling excitedly over to the quidditch stadium. Most students wore their house colors and several held large flags or banners. The Ravenclaws had crafted some sort of enchanted streamers. Instead of fabric, two strips of colored smoke trailed behind the students, sometimes weaving between them. It was very impressive. Much more impressive than the bullhorns that the Gryffindors had devised. But, obnoxiously loud things were to be expected of them, Akashi supposed.

The Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students were mixed among the different houses. Some even donned various house colors for the match. The blond with the snaggle tooth and the other larger blond boy from Durmstrang seemed to be getting along particularly well with some of the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff team members. Also with the group, Akashi spotted the dark haired Beauxbatons student he had 'met' earlier with another silver-haired teen wearing the same light blue uniform. Reo blew a kiss when he met the Slytherin's eyes. The redhead nearly shivered involuntarily before a melodious voice brought his attention back.

"Do you think they'll still be any good?" Kise asked him with a thoughtful smile. He wore a long green and black scarf that Himuro had lent him. Making him seem even taller, a tall green tophat that Takao had given him was balanced on his head.

There was a short whir of Himuro's eyes before he grinned.

"It looks like they're stretching inside already...they look old."

Kagami barked a short laugh as he and Kuroko caught up.

"That's because they are old," the Gryffindor responded. His brother ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Do you think Momoi was able to save our seats?" Kuroko asked, keeping Kise at arm's length.

"Yes, I'm sure," Akashi replied calmly. But in fact, his heart was far from calm. He felt it pounding in his ears as he spoke, "Actually, I need to talk to you a moment, Kuroko-kun."

Himuro raised an eyebrow, but pulled a puzzled Kagami along towards the stairs.

"Let's go help Momoi," he said quickly.

"Yeah. C'mon Kise," Takao said with a smirk, "they'll catch up."

The blond pouted thoughtfully, but didn't hesitate as he followed the others up the staircase.

Murasakibara and Midorima were conspicuously absent; both had duties during the game. The giant worked the concession stands and the Ravenclaw was a stand-by medic.

"What is it, Akashi?"

The silver-haired teen had a slight look of confusion on his normally stoic face. The ambience of the grey light was unhindered by the bleachers above them. The slight evening fog had begun to roll in and it had grown chilly. Around them, the crowd of students had began to peter down as most of the students had taken their seats already.

The Slytherin took a step forward. The two young men were just a foot apart and Akashi swore that the other teen could hear his heart pounding-- to him it was almost deafening. He focused his read eyes on the questioning blue ones in front of him.

"I actually just had something to ask you," he took a deep breath and only just managed to hold himself steady. Akashi Seijuro did not shift nervously, "Are you accompanying anyone to the dance this weekend?"

Kuroko's mouth fell open slight, and his ears burned red. Yet, no sound escaped his lips.

"I supposed there's no need to skirt this. I'm meaning to ask you," the redhead said calmly. It took all of his restraint to control his voice and keep its earnestness in check.

The other teen swallowed visibly and his hands gripped his robe.

"I--I can't. I'm sorry."

Before he could stop it, "oh" escaped the Slytherin's lips. The blood rushing past his ears sounded like a flood.

"I've already been asked," the other teen rushed to explain.

But as he spoke the grey haze seemed to wrap itself around them, his words falling on deaf ears. Instead, Akashi heard another voice.

"You lost again. Without me, you lost again," it echoed hollowly in the stillness. Then, there was silence. And nothingness.

When he finally came to, Akashi was in the stands alongside his friends. Everyone around him was cheering loudly. There were colors everywhere as the banners and house flags flapped in the growing wind. They were a blur that was slowly slipping back into focus. Closing his eyes was all he could do to try to orient himself. He breathed deeply, and when he opened them he quickly realized the reason for their enthusiasm.

Imayoshi had just scored a try. The Ravenclaw captain flew back and pushed up his glasses, that creepy smile as broad as always. The other two seventh year chasers, Kasamatsu and Miyaji, clapped him on the back soundly. They grinned and shouted to the stands. The students responded with a short round of chanting and singing. At the other end of the pitch, Professors Araki and Nakatani seemed to be forming a plan as they spun their bats.

That's right. He was at the match between the teachers and seventh years. The Slytherin prefect breathed out slowly. How long had he been out? Without the sun's position, he had no way to tell the time. Those lost minutes unnerved him greatly, but with a strenuous effort he was able to maintain his placidly content expression.

The match restarted, and the professors flew aggressively, obviously thirsty for a goal.  The lead chaser, Headmaster Garcia, moved so gracefully that it was easy to tell that she had once been professional. It was common knowledge that she used to play for the Spanish national team.

As she approached Miyaji, a bludger suddenly flew past her heading straight for the bristles of his broom. In a flash, Otsubo intercepted it. With a lurch of his muscular shoulders, he sent it ricocheting back at the famous chaser. But, before he finished his follow through another bludger knocked him off his handle. Professor Araki smirked and Garcia took the cleared shot, Miyaji no match for her speed.

The students responded with a chorus of playful 'boos.'

In the corner of his eye, Akashi saw a flash of black flying along the outskirts of the pitch. Nijimura was after something. He was confused for a moment before he remembered that the Ravenclaw had also been an excellent seeker before he had quit.

"Isn't that your cousin?" Momoi said excitedly. It was only then that he realized she was seated behind him. The Ravenclaw leaned forward, resting her forearms on his shoulders. "She's really exceptional, isn't she?"

He nodded, and added with a small smile "All Akashi's are."

His friend giggled and rest her chin on his head. He watched as his cousin darted forward to intercept another shot attempt. The tall Slytherin had been their keeper for a year, but opted out to focus on her studies-- and possibly to avoid Hanimaya. It was a pity since she was the best keeper in the house (that and the fact that she was actually a decent human being, unlike his current keeper).  

She had long, curly, red hair with the right side shaved close to her head. Her eyes also shone the typified Akashi red. Her movements were graceful, yet precise. No effort was wasted.

"I wish I'd gotten to play with her," Himuro said, clearly impressed. His magical eye turned to focus on his captain while the other watched the game. "Do you think the seventh years will win?"

"I'm not sure," Akashi answered truthfully. Since he didn't remember watching the game, he truly had no idea.

"It's doubtful," Momoi responded from above him. Her jaw shifted his scalp as she spoke. "Professor Riko used to play seeker for the Japanese National team. I have a feeling he'll be able to catch Nijimura off guard."

"Experience is a seeker's greatest weapon," Kise added thoughtfully. The young man's eyes were fixed on the game. His smile was vibrant. "Ne Kurokocchi?"

"Please don't lump our ideas together, Kise-kun," the Hufflepuff deadpanned.

"Aw c'mon! You know it's true," the blond said, voice rising to a slight whine. His lips pursed gently as he mumbled "always so mean," under his breath.

His friends all stifled their laughs and giggles, except Kagami who laughed boisterously. It irked Akashi somehow.

"I agree, Kise-kun. More than in any other position, experience is a seeker's greatest weapon," the redhead spoke, stepping in. He was rewarded by a gentle flush on the blond's smooth cheeks. The model watched the rest of the game with a small smile.

When it was over, though slightly dejected at the loss, many of the seventh year students took an impromptu trip to Hogsmeade. Although it was past curfew, the professors turned a blind eye (which may have had something to do with their unexpected victory and their own secret excursion to Hogsmeade). Akashi's friends sat in their spot by the lake drinking some beverages that Murasakibara had managed to sneak from the kitchens for them.

"You're the greatest giant ever!" Kagami laughed, a Daisyroot Draught in his hand. The intoxicated Gryffindor was humming a muggle pop song to himself.

"We call him One Beer Bakagami," Himuro mumbled to Kise as he offered him some Berry Ocky Rot. The fact was well known by their other friends; they had heard his muggle karaoke on numerous occasions. To pre-empt his casting of sonorous, his brother usually confiscated Kagami's wand before he was allowed to drink.

After they chatted amicably for awhile, Momoi complained about having to find where Aomine had fallen asleep and excused herself. With an stony expression, the other Ravenclaw offered to walk with her. Though Midorima seemed upset, they all knew he was happy to do it-- he would have worried otherwise.

Takao offered the young man a wave and Shintarou merely pushed up his glasses in response.

Slowly, one by one, his other friends returned to their dorms. Himuro guided his drunk brother with help from Takao. And Kuroko and Murasakibara headed back to the Hufflepuff dorms together. In the end, it was just Akashi and Kise who remained by the lake.

They sipped their Fire-whisky and coke's silently. It burned as it went slowly down his throat. The only sound was the lapping of the water on the shore and the water sliding into their mouths as they took of their drinks. The wind had died down since the match, though the strange fog remained. Grey clouds hung dense in the sky and neither the moon nor stars were visible. To put it simply, it was very dark.

With a radiant smile, the model broke the silence.

"I don't have many friends," he began. The golden eyes looked hesitantly at Akashi. "I know I seem popular, but it's all pretty superficial. And after meeting all of Kurokocchi's friends, I kind of wish I had come to Hogwarts instead."

He let out a sad chuckle and took a long draught of his drink. The Slytherin offered him a small smile and fiddled with his ring subconsciously--something he rarely did. But, it was dark, and for some reason he felt extremely comfortable around the blond.

"Thank you. To be honest, it probably would have been great if you had come here, but there's a lot you don't know about me. It wasn't always this simple."

Unexpectedly, the model leaned closer. There was a faint splash and the Slytherin captain thought he caught sight of a tail in the corner of his eye. But it was hard to be distracted by anything else when a person _that_ handsome was _that_ close to him.

"I'd like to learn more about you, Akashicchi. Maybe, if you haven't got a date yet, you would go with me to the dance."

Those unnaturally bright eyes glowed in earnest at him and Akashi found himself unable to refuse. In fact, he got the feeling that he couldn't refuse, even if he had wanted to (which he didn't, but still...strange).

"I would like that, Kise-Kun."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the other young man beamed...like he was going to shit rainbows or something. He might have even literally glowed a bit.

That night, Akashi had the strangest dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***a sidenote/update...thing here's a [ drabble ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4511514) about good ol' Muro-chin and the giant that didn't fit in this main story


	10. And Then They Slept Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dream and the summer festival. The calm before the storm ... set it off

It didn't feel like it was his dream; it felt like it was someone else's-- like he was someone else.

In fact, Akashi was acutely aware that wherever he was, it wasn't somewhere that he'd ever been.

_The bright sun nearly blinded him as his eyes blinked open slowly. Above him in the rich blue sky, there wasn't a cloud for miles. Somehow stiff, his body was slow as he moved. He pushed himself up from where he lay, trying to get even slightly oriented._

_The creak of the boat was as lulling as its sway. The floorboards beneath his feet were a deep, weathered brown and small puddles formed where it bowled. Squared nailed heads gave him the impression that this was well-crafted, but old. When he stepped, to better examine his surroundings, he noticed traditional Japanese sandals with long socks on his feet. He wore short black pants, but they weren't really like any shorts he'd ever worn. With a start, the young Slytherin realized that his whole outfit was something of a relic._

_His head was wrapped once around by a cloth headband, tied in the front. His chest was bare and the sleeves of his grey linen kimono were rolled up leaving his arms bared. The white belt was tied around his waist had a small, woven pouch attached to it. He fingered it curiously. But before he could open it, the gentle groan of the boat became more incessant._

_He shielded his eyes and searched the sea around him. He was caught completely off guard when what once was the definition of a beautiful day, was turning into a grey, churning storm. Strangely, it didn't seem like it was rolling in from any which direction, it was just coming into existence. As the wind picked up, Akashi was suddenly aware of how unstable his little craft was becoming. And of course, there was no land in sight._

_That's when he heard it, the most beautiful melody he could have ever imagined._

 

He turned to a prone position and let out a gentle sigh.

 

_In the distance, he glimpsed a small island that hadn't been there moments ago. It made him feel a little uneasy, but somehow he knew he needed to go there. Moreover, it was in the opposite direction of the storm-- he didn't really have a choice._

_Though he'd never been on a boat before, his hands moved instinctively to set the sail and direct him towards his only hope. His skin goose-bumped as the music grew louder. It had begun as just a melody, but suddenly there was a thrump that beat in time with the strange song._

_When he finally saw her, he was hypnotized._

_There on the shore, on the porch of a small cottage, sat the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She rest on a small bench, her eyes were closed as she leaned back against a thin wooden pillar. Around her neck, a linen scarf twisted and turned with each gust of the story. She had long hair that flowed between silver and gold depending on how the light caught it._

_He doesn't know how he does it, but in the blink of an eye he is standing in front of her. The weight of her sky blue gaze pressed heavily on him._

_"You're about to die," she said with a smile._

_"I am," he agreed. Everything about her gave him an incredible sense of deja vu, yet left him feeling completely at ease._

_"I can help you," her voice washed over him, strangely suggestive._

_"I would like that."_

_She smiled. With a familiar fluid motion, she traced her lips over his cheeks and whispered delicately into his ear. He shivered with the sensation of her breath._

_"You must swear your eternal fealty to me. A debt for all times."_

_Without hesitation, he nodded. As if by magic, he felt a weight in the pouch on his waist._

_The woman reached down into the pocket with one hand and held her other hand out expectantly. Her smile was so inviting; he couldn't resist and placed his palm on hers._

_"After I put it in, turn the dial back. But I warn you, it should be used sparsely," she tipped her face and leanded close to him, letting her lips feather onto his. They felt cool like water and tasted faintly of salt. "Terrible things happen to those who meddle with time."_

_With that, she slipped a familiar ring onto his finger and then transformed into a beautiful bird. He looked down, and as the wind howled, he turned it._

Akashi felt as if he had just been pulled through a vortex and into his bed. His muscles had a fading ache and his limbs felt stiff. He propped himself up and rubbed his face, looking at his clock. It was almost six-- not quite enough time to get any more rest. He glanced at his roommates. Both were sleeping soundly and Takao was letting out a gentle snore.

Instead of waking them, he stretched and headed to the pitch for a morning fly.

It was still dark out when he exited the castle. The grass was still damp and the fog had yet to clear. The sky was that beautiful blue that happens right before the sunrise. It was a color that Akashi had always tried to catch in his paintings, but it was the hardest to mix.

The walk to the pitch was short, and the damp air was cool against his skin. When he arrived, he was surprised to find it was occupied.

"Reo-chan, here!" in a blur, the distinct blond hair Kise Ryouta streaked past him. The ball came to the young man swiftly, just past the reach of another silver-haired player (was he there a moment ago?) and the chaser threw it perfectly through the hoop.

"Accio ball," said the mystery teen in a bored voice. He caught it deftly and tucked it under his arm. Under the other, he carried a beater's bat. Suddenly, Akashi noticed that all three of the Beauxbatons students had the cricket style bats slung either over their shoulders, or in make- shift sheaths on their brooms.

As he got closer, he realized the trio all had a sheen of sweat; they must've been playing for at least an hour. It seemed like they had just finished though, as they all landed and dismounted.

"Ah, Akashi-kun," greeted Mibuchi. His long black hair was tied up in a ponytail and his eyes...well, they weren't red for some reason. "What are you doing up so early?"

The Slytherin smiled politely, "I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd fly a bit."

"Isn't that cool?" the other teen coo-ed. He flashed his smile and his canines seemed even longer than when they'd first met.

"Please leave Akashicchi alone, Reo-chan. Don't you need to get back anyways?" Kise said with a slight edge to his melodious voice. The dark haired teen laughed.

"Yes, yes. You're right. Shall we, captain?" he turned to look at the silver haired teen. As Akashi examined him he realized he looked remarkably similar to Kuroko, but instead of light blue eyes, his were a dark, empty black. He nodded to the Slytherin captain in acknowledgement, but didn't speak. He tilted his head towards the castle with a quick gesture and began to walk.

"Until we meet again, my prince," Mibuchi grinned. With a nod to the blond, he ran to catch up to their captain. There was something strangely similar about the way they walked.

Akashi raised an eyebrow and turned back to his new friend.

"Practicing this early? And just three of you?"

Kise chuckled and swept his hand through his shockingly bright hair.

"Well, Beauxbatons is a great school, but it's not exactly known for its quidditch. So, we have to find time outside of our busy class schedules and other extracurriculars to practice."

He looked down, avoiding Akashi's eyes just for a moment, then his smile returned. His golden eyes shined when he met the redhead's gaze and he spoke again.

"Part of the reason we practice so early is that I like to have a bit of extra time to work on my own. I only just began playing a couple of years ago. But I want to be the best and that means putting in more hours," he laughed. "To tell you the truth, I mostly want to beat Aominecchi."

"You know him?"

"We've played a few three on three tournaments against each other. And no matter how much I've improved or how good I've gotten, I've never been able to win! It drives me crazy!"

The Slytherin captain looked at the blond with a new appreciation. For having only played a couple of years, he was almost impossibly good.

"And your other two teammates...why do they practice this early? It's practically dark still."

Kise's smile turned mischievous.

"Haven't you guessed?"

The pieces fell into place with an almost audible click in the redhead's brain.

"They're vampires."

"Woah, Akashicchi," the other young man laughed and raised his hands in surrender, "the way you say that sounds terrifying. They're only part vampire. Less than a quarter I think." He hummed thoughtfully, "Reo's eyes aren't so red at night, but his teeth are longer, like he wants to eat me or something. Mayuzumi has those soulless black eyes that kind of creep me out, but he's alright. Other than that, they're pretty normal."

"Do they drink blood?"

"No, but they're definitely not vegetarians," the blonde said with a chuckle.

What a strange student body, Akashi mused to himself. He called for his broom and it flew from its place in the Slytherin equipment room. The blond eyed its approach with excitement.

"Do you want to play some one on one, Akashicchi?" Kise asked earnestly. His tail was practically wagging.

The redhead tilted his head unsure, "I don't know that I've played one on one quidditch before."

The blond almost dropped his broom along with his jaw.

"Really?!? Does that mean you've never played three on three either?"

"Ah, no," Akashi shook his head, polite smile in place. The blond kicked off the ground and waved for the Slytherin to join him. The duo began to loop the pitch slowly as Kise explained.

"Well, in three on three everyone carries a bat. There's no seeker. And anyone can play any position at anytime. You kind of just play whatever you need to at the time. Oh, and instead of just throwing the ball, you can hit it, too."

He grinned and demonstrated by hitting the ball nicely through the hoop. Turning back, the look on his face was definitely one of confidence with a smattering of vanity. But if he were honest, Akashi didn't find it unbecoming of the other teen. Nothing was unbecoming of him actually. Kise continued enthusiastically.

"With one on one, you have to do a few spells. You have to make a magical area near the hoop and enchant a bludger to fly at random. The area keeps the ball from flying itself off. It's pretty fun, but sometimes dodging the ball can be a pain. Literally."

At that, Akashi's lips quirked with amusement. The young veela radiated a light silver aura as he spoke. It was more than a little mesmerizing at times.

"Seems like you really love it. It's a pity quidditch isn't encouraged at your academy."

The blond shrugged.

"Can't worry about things you can't change," then somehow his smile grew even brighter, like a tiny sun, "But I'm lucky really. Here we get to play against people who love it as much as I do. At our academy, the three of us-- and maybe Moriyama-- are the only ones who really enjoy it. And to be fair, he mostly just plays to get girls."

He pulled a face, but still managed to remain photo shoot handsome. In an instant, his features softened and his eyes glowed with a silent pride.

"I don't mean that our teammates aren't great. It was hard enough to even get people to join. The twins are actually pretty amazing, but they both would rather be dancing. And Kobori really likes playing, but he has a lot of other responsibilities. He's actually a quarter giant. Isn't that fantastic?"

"Yes, it really is," Akashi smiled. The sun's rays felt hot on his neck. They had been chatting so long, he'd forgotten the time. "Ah, I'm sorry Kise-kun. I actually need to get back."

The young man nodded, "I'm going to fly a bit longer. See you tonight?"

"Of course," the Slytherin prefect said smoothly, "Until then."

Kise gave him a smile and wave as he flew off. As he watched his shrinking back, the weight of the ring on Akashi's finger felt heavier than it ever had. He fingered it as he walked back to the castle. If he thought about it, he was sure it was the same ring that he had dreamed about the night before. A memory that wasn't his...or even 'little brother's'... how could that be possible?

The Slytherin shook his head to clear his thoughts, quickening his step to begin his day. He should've slowed down and walked as slowly as humanly possible. Why? Because the next five hours were possibly the most boring of his young life. At one point during the second hour of their runes test and the fourth consecutive hour of OWL tests he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, he kept his composure and smiled politely when Professor Araki subtly hinted at the professor team's victory. It was the first time he almost gave into the urge to turn his ring forward and see what would happen. He somehow managed to resist and make it to the end of the test, end of the day, and beginning of dinner.

It was uncanny really. The din in the great hall was like a muggle lawn mower. Everyone was talking about the party that would begin later. Those who weren't talking about the party were shouting to be heard over the chatter of their schoolmates.

Akashi sat with his two friends, listening quietly to them discuss their evening's plans.

"I can't wait to see him in regular clothes," Takao grinned.

"I bet he'll look like a businessman," Himuro teased, "or an old man at least."

At that undoubtedly accurate prediction, even Akashi chuckled.

But, their friend wasn't phased in the slightest.

"Yeah, he'll probably look pretty dang good," the young man was in his own world. Himuro snorted and ruffled his friend's hair warmly.

"And who will you be taking Himuro-kun?" Akashi asked, sipping his iced cider.

The other teen's magical eye whirred.

"I managed to convince that idiot brother of mine to man up and ask a girl out. We're taking those Beauxbatons quidditch twins."

Takao very conspicuously leaned back in his chair to look at the other school's table.

"Baka," Himuro mumbled and buried his face in his hands.

"Oh. They're so attractive," the other chaser whispered with a grin. And, of course, since he could never be 'quiet' exactly their whole table, and the Beauxbatons table turned to look at him. Takao responded with an enthusiastic thumbs up--Himuro tried to dig further into his hands. The Slytherin captain patted his friends shoulder comfortingly as he stood.

"It will be fine Himuro-kun. I've got to meet Momoi. I'll see you at the dance later."

"But Sei-chan, who are you going with?" Takao practically shouted. That young man needed to learn to control the volume of his voice. For the second time in as many minutes, Akashi laughed. He touched his finger to his lips with a small smile.

"You'll see," he said as he walked away. The two dark haired teens at shared an eyebrow-raised look and a smirk.

They gave each other an identical look when he was introduced to the party with Kise Ryouta.

Unlike the Yule ball, the summer festival (usually held to celebrate the end of school) was always held in the school's large courtyard. And as was tradition, every couple who was arrived was introduced. When the incredibly handsome and popular veela showed up with the best and brightest Hogwarts had to offer, they turned more than a few heads.  

Kise looked every part the model. His dark blue jeans fit him perfectly and tapered to his chucks. The collar of his light black jacket was propped up against his neck exactly right. It was unzipped enough to see just the top of his plain grey t-shirt. He looked casual, but well dressed.

Akashi was on the other side of the casual-but-well-dressed spectrum. His black jeans ended in a pair of dark suede loafers. He wore a light blue collared shirt that; it fit his slim form well. To add a bit of class, he wore a dark pinstriped vest. Akashi Seijuro was nothing if not fashionable. The students were almost as excited when Momoi, the most sought after girl in the fifth year, arrived with an obviously disinterested, but dapper nonetheless, Aomine Daiki. His tight fitting, striped v-neck was surprisingly hip. The girl on his arm undoubtedly chose it. However, it's unlikely she approved of his flipflops. As for herself her pegged jeans, clash tank top and mesh jacket were nothing like what was expected of the young woman with the best grades in their year. They all looked the superstar-high-school-student part to the tee.

But, as interesting as the semi-celebrity couples were, most of the students were much more interested in their own dates and how their own evening might go; the excitement was soon forgotten.

The decorations for the dance were pretty sparse, but the summer festival had always been a low-key affair. Students wore their 'coolest' muggle clothes. Some of the students from the pure-blood families hadn't quite caught up to the current fashion trends. Speaking of one such 'retro'outfit, his Ravenclaw friend approached with a black turtleneck and a tanned sport coat.

"Drink duty?" Akashi offered politely. He ladled himself some of the red cherry current concoction and set it down, preparing another for Kise.

The blond was in the thick of the crowd in front of the stage. He and Momoi had managed to drag Aomine in there with them. Takao was dancing enthusiastically with the other two, though Akashi could barely see them through the thick of the crowd. Nearby the brothers and their twin dates danced nearby, and then there he was. Kuroko's silver hair came in and out of view as he somehow became visible and invisible--like always. But Akashi had yet to see his....date.

Midorima sighed and pushed up his glasses before he spoke.

"Yes. And also, I know my clothes are from a different era. Unfortunately, my mother does not."

The young man's cheeks turned a deep crimson. Akashi chuckled, putting down the cup. He patted the taller teen's shoulder and began pouring another drink.

"You look fine Shintarou. A little mature, yes. But dashing. Here, take this," he handed his friend a full glass, and picked another up from the table. "And this."

"Thank you Seijuro."

The Slytherin offered his friend a smile.

"Let's head back together."

After casting a small spill-proof charm, the duo weaved through the crowd. Neither mind the bumps--even the normally stiff Ravenclaw was enjoying the sense of excitement in the air. Tests were finished, the games were about the begin. For a wizarding student, life was good.

The music pulsed through the sea of students and the enchanted lights splayed wildly on the cobblestone. Pure elation was contagious. And it didn't hurt that the two vampire Beauxbatons players were extremely groovy. Their band, "Life from below 1779" won an award for best new rock band of the year. The silver-haired one was an impressive drummer and when Reo sang, he had a strangely alluring rasp in his voice. Paranormal or not the group played the student body into a frenzy.

The crowd tightened shoulder to shoulder and moved like one being. Akashi was crammed between Kise and Momoi as the mass of sweaty teenagers swayed. He felt good. He felt a freedom that he hadn't had in almost two years.

They all danced until they ached, Takao's boisterous laugh and Kagami's idiotic one cutting through the music. Murasakibara towered over his date, a fourth year Hufflepuff. She smiled shyly. The complete opposite of Kuroko's date, a fourth year Ravenclaw. And the little sister of the Seventh year Otsubo. Her personality oozed the same confidence as his; it must have been genetic, Akashi mused. He ignored the twitch that threatened his eye. No, he was not jealous. Akashi's did not get jealous. Correction, Akashi Seijuro did not get jealous.

But, he did suddenly feel like getting out of there.

"Satsuki, would you like to get some air?"

Being his best friend, she saw through his polite smile and instantly knew it was stretched a bit too thin.

"Yeah, I want to breath something," she said with a mischevious smile. That smile usually meant trouble, but Akashi could handle trouble right now. In fact, he welcomed it.

In no time at all, she had managed to drag Aomine to the empty bleachers at the quidditch pitch. The Durmstrang student moaned the entire way, but it was obvious he preferred this to the dance. The Slytherin and the veela strolled amicably (and a short distance) behind them.

The crisp night air was a pleasant relief from the sweltering heat of the sweaty teens. And the company wasn't bad either. Walking next to Kise was somehow a...relief. It was odd; though he was a pretty excitable guy, something about the young man was consistently comforting. Like the embers of a fire on a dark night. Maybe because of his veela nature? Either way, Akashi had decided, he didn't mind it.

"Hey, hurry up!" the deep voice that called out was something that the redhead hadn't really heard before. In all the time that he'd been here, the two of them had never spoken-- a bit surprising considering that they shared the same best friend. Akashi appraised the situation under the bleachers with a raised eyebrow.

His best friend was sitting--laying actually-- on the edge of a large blanket. It looked like she had transfigured it from the soft grass. She had a silly grin on her face and her eyes were closed. As they got closer, he could hear the gentle tune she was humming. It sounded suspiciously like a Clash song. Her long hair had reverted to its actual natural light brown color and was fanned out around her head with large, sloping curls.  

The tanned teen had an uncharacteristic, and almost feral, grin spread across his face. From this short distance Akashi could see that he held something between his thumb and forefinger.

"C'mon, dipshit."

The request clearly wasn't addressed at him. But the reaction Kise gave surprised Akashi.

"Yeah, yeah. We're coming."

There was a hint of amusement and definite fondness in the blond's voice.

"We've been friends for a long time," he said with a chuckle in answer to Akashi's unasked question.

"Ah. I see."

"Oi, Kise!"

When they got close enough, Aomine wrapped an arm around the blond's neck and pulled him towards Momoi and the blanket. The Slytherin raised his eyebrows and followed them. He smiled softly as he sat next to his friend.

"And what's this Satsuki?"

The young woman giggled and propped herself up, taking a long drag of something she held in her lips. She offered it to Kise. With a laugh, she shrugged and said, "Something I confiscated from some of my housemates. There are perks to being prefect."

In a flash, she pushed herself up and gave him a peck on the cheek before lying back again with a content sigh.

Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder. When he turned, a pair of golden eyes met his own. Kise held the sides of his face gently and croaked,

"Inhale."

Akashi did exactly as commanded and the blond leaned close. In the corner of his eye, he caught a flux of a shadow. He didn't have time to think more of it though because the blood pounding in his ears grew deafening. Their lips were just a hair's width apart, but the prefect could already feel a coolness emanating from them. Slowly, that sensation was replaced by the smoke that was slipping past it. It created a small grey bridge between them. And when he was done, Kise leaned back with a grin.

"Well?"

The redhead held the breath in his lungs, trying to get the full effect. As he exhaled, he plucked the spliff from the veela's fingers.

"I think I'll manage better on my own," he said as he proceeded to take a toke. He didn't miss the glare that Aomine gave him.

"Relax Dai-chan," Momoi chimed in, "I can feel you writhing from here."

"Yeah, yeah," was the response. But though he tried to sound grumpy, he failed pretty miserably when he began to chuckle.

"Oi, Kise, did you tell Akashi about the time you slipped off your broom and mooned all our parents?"

The blond flushed a deep red. "No, but you just did. Baka!"

The Ravenclaw began to laugh too.

"Oooh, I remember that game. Wasn't that last year Ki-chan?"

Kise just mumbled in response and crossed his arms. His mouth formed a semblance of a pout, but it was clear he was trying to suppress a smile.

"How did you all meet?" Akashi asked, looking directly at Aomine. The normally sterm-faced student seemed to have relaxed immensely; he smiled fondly.

"Well, Satsuki and I grew up together. This dipshit and I played against each other in a shit ton of three-on-three tournaments. He never wins though," he said wagging his finger at Kise. The other teen just laughed and said assuredly.

"Oh but I will, Aominecchi. Just you wait."

"Not in a million years, copycat."

"Why? Because, 'the only one who can beat you is you?"' the blond asked in a very amusing imitation of the other teen.

"Ah, shut up. Let's see you beat me right now."

"One on one? Bring it on."

As if suddenly remembering him, the blond turned to look at Akashi. Maybe it was the herbs, but the young man's eyes looked suspiciously puppy dog-esque. Unable to help himself, the Slytherin reached out and touched his shoulder assuredly.

"Of course it's fine. I had a really nice time."

The blond practically pounced on him with a tight hug. Then pulled away to beam at him.

"Me, too Akashicchi. I'm so happy that we're friends."

"Yes, yes. Now go play."

"Bye Ki-chan!" Momoi said sleepily from her position on the blanket.

"Oi, what about me?"

"Whatever Dai-chan," she answered happily. With a friendly growl, he headed off toward the pitch, arm around the blond's shoulder. The veela flailed slightly and pushed at the tanned teen gently. It was obvious that he didn't really mean to get away.

With stretch, Akashi laid down next to his best friend and put his hands behind his head as a pillow. He stared up at the crisscrossing wood, mesmerized by the patterns. Each intersection, each knot of wood was so interesting. And...yeah, he was definitely feeling it.

"So this was an interesting idea," he offered. He could practically feel her smile.

"Yeah, I know it's sort of random, but it was for them really. That asshole is much less of a dick when he's stoned."

He waited, curiosity peaked, for her to continue. Her voice floated dreamily through the air.

"Dai-chan has liked him for years, you know," she giggled. He probably should have felt more surprised, but he didn''t-- probably another side-effect of that wonderful herb. He hummed in response.

"You're alright with it, right Sei-chan? Oh shit. I mean, do you? I mean. Shit. I would feel awful if you liked Ki-chan. Oh, that would make me such a jerk-"

He stopped her with squeeze of the shoulder.

"It's fine. Kise is just a good friend. It's actually pretty strange," he said as he turned to look at her. He found her dark green eyes staring curiously back at his. He reached out to touch her cheek and continued, "I feel a really strong connection to him. But I'm not sure why."

Satsuki smiled with her eyes closing her eyes again and rolled onto his shoulder.

"Sometimes that just happens, Sei-chan."

With that simple philosophical line she yawned and began to drift to sleep.

"At least we don't have class tomorrow," he chuckled. His wand flicked as he mumbled, "cello chameleous," and reached into his friend's bag. He found the shadow cloak (because of course she was always prepared) and pulled it out. It barely covered him, but it would do. He was sure no one would come out looking for them in the morning. In fact, he could still hear the party carrying on just beyond the turn of the castle wall.

"You're a century too early Kise!"

Aomine Daiki's deep and contagious chuckle was the last thing he heard before he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Though it didn't fit in the flow of the story, there is [](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4487919>%20this%20short%20</a>%20which%20is%20about%20Kise%20and%20Aomine's%20*cough*%20one-on-one%20*cough.%20Just%20an%20FYI)


	11. What's the worst that could happen?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He's heee-rrreee." Or. "And he's back." Take your pick.

The sun's rays managed to weave their way through the jungle of bleacher poles and cast themselves right into the sleep Slytherin's eyes. No matter how much he wished he were sleeping, he was awake and there was no changing it. With a small sigh, Akashi cautiously shifted his weight and gently set his friend's head down on the blanket.

She mumbled something incoherently and turned on her side with a smile. It warmed his heart, almost literally, to see her look so peaceful.

He stood and stretched, quietly making his way towards the lake. Something about the way the sun was reflecting across the water was unbearably enticing. In his mind, a stray thought saved for his silver-haired friend fluttered about. Without realizing it, he had begun to jog to the lake and found himself there in no time.

The brilliant reflection blinded him momentarily. The world was white, and the lulling sounds of ocean tides caressed his ears. He knew it was strange since he'd never been to the ocean, but it felt too good to question. But, then the water sounded too close and he realized the splashing sounds were coming from the real world.

There was a glimmer of a scaled tail in the water near at the shore and then he saw them. Two yellow eyes peaked up at him from the water. On top of the head was wet, matted down hair that strangely resembled thin strands of kelp. A silky voice drifted up through the water.

"The watched one finally comes."

The pleasure in her voice was palpable. He raised his eyebrows, ready to respond when she suddenly continued. It was a little unnerving not to be able to see her mouth through the water.

"I've been waiting for you Akashi. Catch!"

Before he realized that he was reacting, his hand reached for the object.

As soon as his fingers grasped the cool metal, he collapsed to his knees in agony. More than he had ever experienced, the pain in his head was unbearable-- like an animal was clawing through the flesh in his brain. He fell forward onto his palms and ground his teeth. The pain forced all of the air from his lungs and he was unable to get a decent sized breath. Choking to death was an embarrassing way to go, he mused. But he blacked in and out of consciousness, unable to hold on to that thought. After what felt like an eternity, he finally had enough air to speak

"What to you want?" he managed to croak. The yellow eyes narrowed. The water parted as the green, scaled face emerged from the water. It stared at him bitterly.

"Kill the veela," it hissed. Then it was gone, back into the lake, leaving only a ripple in its wake.

The vice clamped around his temples seemed to suddenly relent and he stood. Behind him, he could hear a voice calling his name and footsteps running towards him.

"Gladly," the Slytherin mumbled.

Quickly and discreetly he moved his wand. The fire that had begun burning in his left eye was sufficiently concealed and he turned towards the approaching voice.

"Akashi! Are you ok?" huffed the blond. Kise's cheeks were flushed red and his hair stood at odd angles. The look of concern in his eyes was clear. "Did it hurt you?"

Akashi shook his head.

"No, I'm fine. The creature just made a very unpleasant sound. My ears felt like they were going to explode. What are you doing up so early?"

"Funny. It's already lunchtime, you--"

Kise had moved to examine his friend closer, but suddenly stopped.

"What is that?" he asked, pointing to the necklace still clenched in the redhead's fist. Akashi looked down and tried to seem as unsure as possble. It was easier to seem confused since he realized that somehow four hours had passed in an instant.

"I don't really know. It just threw it at me. Have you seen one before?" Akashi feigned a curious expression. The blond swallowed and nodded.

"I saw that kind of stone in a book once. We veela consider them very bad luck."

The Slytherin looked at the large pendent. It seemed to be a design of a coat of arms covered in a row of long feathers. He turned over the tarnished silver to examine the deep red rock mounted in it. It reminded him of a topaz, except that it was a dark crimson and black color. Though it was only about the size of his thumb, but it felt much heavier.

"Why back luck?"

The other teen stood back and Akashi could feel the eyes examining him. He held his tongue and subjected to the probing, knowing he needed to control his temper.

"It's supposed to bring out the worst in someone....and amplify it," he finally said.

Akashi couldn't suppress his grin as he chuckled.

"Oh, that's probably just superstition," he lied. Casually, he pocketed the stone and gestured to himself. "I don't seem any different, do I?" he smiled his most charming smile. And Kise was pulled in to his amusement. It was easy enough to lull the blond into a sense of security-- false or not.

"No," the teen said with a laugh, "you seem fine. Great really. Probably just the cannex from last night. And actually, I've got to go wake Aomine. We need to get back or we won't be allowed to play."

"Of course, Ryouta," the prefect said with a practiced grin, "good luck!"

Kise grinned back and began to jog towards the quidditch field, the warm morning light making the young man glow. Akashi tilted his head as he watched him and held up his wand. He pointed the tip it at the shrinking back.

"Bang," he whispered with a smirk. A new day. Another chance. Elated at his escape, he went back to the bleachers to find Momoi and escort her back to the castle. She would be a good test for him; he wouldn't fail this time. He wasn't going to make the same mistakes.

But as it turned out, it wasn't a test at all. He took her back to the castle, and parted ways without a hitch. Oh she had eyed him momentarily, but only to ask if he'd seen Kise or Aomine that morning. Of course, he told the truth. Like a good girl, she went back to her dorms, leaving him to find his target.

He walked silently towards his dorms, gears in his mind turning furiously.

First, he would kill the one that trapped him. Then, he would deal with the veela. Like a reward for a job well done. What a pleasant thought; the Slytherin grinned for a moment, but quickly suppressed it. This time, he wouldn't make the same mistakes. No first names. No maniacal laughs. No crazy looks. No impromptu haircuts. Nothing. Not until he'd killed the boy at least. Then after that, who cared. He would be invincible.

And just in case the blond boy knew more than he let on, Akashi was going to keep track of Tetsuya all day. He would finish it after the game. If he waited longer than tonight, there was a chance that Ryouta would tell the silver-haired boy what he saw. Worse, the Hufflepuff could grow to suspect him anyways (the little shit always managed to figure him out). He couldn't have that, now could he?

As long as Akashi managed to stay away from that tall, green-haired freak with the glasses, he should have no other problems. It would be pushing his luck to see the third 'best friend' and still go undetected. Seeing him wasn't a risk he needed to take.

With a plan of action, he took out the parchment he carried with him and scrawled a note.

 

_Kuroko,_

_Meet up by the lake. Bring the baka and the giant. We can go to Hogsmeade._

_Akashi_

 

He stared at the parchment working up a plan on how to keep them together for the day. The trip would have to take a little longer than comfortable, but he had no choice. But luckily, the two idiots would make things easier. Their obliviousness to him was a bonus, but their guaranteed bickering would hopefully keep Kuroko's mind occupied for the next few hours. The game was at five so he only had to last four hours. Four hours with those peasants--he almost vommitted a little in his mouth.

And after two hours in the small tavern in the muggle village, he really did vomit in his mouth... a little.

"There's no way it'll be Beaubatons!" the neanderthal browed one shouted. "Have you seen Aomine? I mean, really? Have. You. Seen. Him."

The purple haired monstrosity just shrugged.

"Ki-chan is pretty good," he offered, crunching into a blood-flavoured lollipop.

"How can you eat that?" Kuroko asked, turning slightly green. A rare show of interest from him. The Slytherin could almost not believe how truly boring and weak the boy was.

The giant looked up past his drooped lids, "tastes good. Chihi-chin likes them."

"Chihi--Mayuzumi is a vampire," Kuroko said, looked at the idiot with a blank expression. Kagami and Akashi sniggered. But, the huge Hufflepuff didn't seem to care.

"It tastes like iron," he said thoughtfully, "or sweet pennies. I like pennies."

The silver-haired boy visibly shuddered. And at the thought of the blood treat, even Akashi swallowed and averted his gaze.

"Well, that's it. I feel sick," Kagami gagged, "Let's go back."

He stood up and the tall one followed him. They made their way to the door arguing about what sort of quidditch was best.

"Both of you are wrong," Kuroko added blankly. The idiot growled at him and paced away. With a shrug, the giant walked steadily after him. Leaving almost fell neatly into Akashi's plan, so the redhead would let it slide..the large eyebrowed idiot would suffer later. Yes. He would.

Akashi followed the two idiots at a distance with the silver-haired wretch walking next to him. He smiled politely and chanced at conversation.

"Who do you think will win?" he asked as brightly as possibly.

"Ah, I'm not sure," Kuroko said. The innocent blue eyes met the fake red ones. For an instant, it seemed like he faltered. But the recovery was so quick that Akashi thought he may have imagined it-- very possible with his current state of paranoia.

"But," the Hufflefpuff continued, "Kise will never give up."

His shoulders pulled back just slightly and his chest puffed an increment. Only someone with Akashi's emperor eye would notice. So, it seemed the boy did care for the blond. The redhead smiled as warmly as he could despite his blood curdling with disgust at the other's affection for the mudblood creature. But, he kept his smile in place. Akashi had become a very good actor.

"I see. Hmm. Let's hurry so we can get good seats together."

He hoped he found the right balance of enthusiasm. And judging by the Kuroko's shy, small smile and pinkened hue, he had hit the jackpot. Internally, he gloated. This game would be easier to win than he had anticipated. 

"C'mon!" Kagami yelled, catching their attention. The Gryffindor broke into a run when the pitch was in sight. Grey clouds loomed on the horizon and the wind began to pick up. 

"I'll crush you," the giant said, with much less enthusiasm. Nonetheless he began to run. The gusts pushed his purple hair from his face.  And that's when Akashi knew he could put the nail on the coffin. He reached out.

"Yes, come on Tetsuya," the redhead said through his teeth. He was sure it looked like a big smile despite feeling like a grimace.

Kuroko froze and blinked. Before he could speak, Akashi grabbed his hand and tugged. The silver-haired boy looked away, but began to run.

Fish in a barrel, really.

When they arrived, the seats were already beginning to fill up. He glanced down from their seats and saw Satsuki on the sidelines. Of course she would be with Daiki. Perfect. Everything was perfect; Akashi's lips twitched as he fought the urge to smirk.

The game began and so did the countdown to his ultimate victory-- eternal freedom. His eyes focused on the tip-off as he tried to distract himself for the next couple of hours. It wasn't difficult with the caliber of play. Though he was a mudblood, the blond chaser didn't disappoint.

He and the tainted boy scored tit for tat. The dark one moved like a flash of wind, like the death eaters he had seen in a movie once. It was impressive how incredibly fast he was.

On the other hand, the Beauxbatons chaser was like a flash of light. And judging by the surprise on the darker boy's face, it was completely unexpected.

The handsome model's face drew into the same expression as the other teens and suddenly it was like watching two sides of a mirror.

"Wakamatsu," Daiki growled, "Just give me the damn ball."

"Shut up!" the blond Durmstrang student yelled. Even from that great distance, you could see the vain in his forehead pulse. But, he still passed the ball.

The dark haired chaser made short work of the defense and threw in a seemingly careless try from midfield. Before the Beuxbatons team could even throw in the ball, he was all over Ryouta. There was no chance the blond would be able to get the inbound pass.

"Well, that's why I have teammates," Ryouta smirked. In a flash, the dark-haired vampire was there (another disgusting mudblood). The other chaser caught the ball in a the blink of an eye and moved to score a try. In the distance, the thunder rumbled. 

"I won't lose sight of you!" shouted an overly excited Durmstrang beater. The young man's head was shaved and he looked every bit the monk--didn't act like one at all, but he had the look down. He hit the bludger with a shout and it headed directly for the vampire.

"You're a million years too early!" a Beauxbatons beater replied. He was large with dark hair and tanned skin; the young man had large defined muscles. (Akashi had never seen him before.) He returned the ball with such force that he was able to knock another Durmstrang student off his broom with a thunk.

"Awesome hit!" shouted the teen as he fell towards the ground. His grin revealed a long canine tooth. Probably another tainted creature, Akashi guessed. The echoing thunder drew closer and he saw a flash of lighting. The wind had started to howl in the distance. This was going to be some storm. 

He turned his attention back to the match. Though he knew he was much more skilled than they were and that victory was assured, it was still interesting enough to watch them play. He would show them what real excellence was in the next game, but first, he needed to end the boy next to him. Wait...next to him?

"Shit," Akashi cursed.

"Eh? What is it?" the eyebrowed idiot asked him. It dawned on him rather quickly considering how stupid he was. "Oi, where's Kuroko?"

"I'm not sure. I'll go look for him," Akashi said as he stood up.

"Let's go together," Kagami said, following him towards the stairs.

"Aka-chin."

The Slytherin cringed internally.

"Yes?" he said, doing his best not to snap at the purple haired one.

"Kuroko-chin said you'd need this."

Palm up, the giant offered him a folded up parchment. Akashi raised his eyebrows. Yes, that would be extremely useful. He snatched it from the other teen's hands and stalked off, with the Gryffindor close behind.

"I guess he wanted us to find him," Kagami said with a shrug when they reached the bottom of the bleachers. The tall wooden poles were reminiscent of a bamboo forest. Beyond the wood, the sun was beginning hand lower in the sky (it was the second half of the match after all). A thin shower of dust rained down as the seats above them shook with excitement. But since the match was in full swing, no one was around.

"I'm going to find him," Akashi said decisively.

"I'll come with you," the idiot say excitedly. "We'll find him together."

"Hmm," Akashi said pensively. He turned to look the boy square in the eye; his iris flashed orange. "No, we won't."

Kagami's eyes widened, "Wha--"

"Imperio," the Slytherin said with a grin. The storm had rolled in. 


	12. It's Probably the Pheromones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Akashi to find Kuroko.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is pretty short because it felt like a good place to stop. Guess I'm going to have to change the total chapter count. hehe. My apologies.

The torrential downpour and gale force winds had forced everyone to the great hall. The Slytherin dungeons and Hufflepuff basement had flooded and the violent winds had made the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor towers unsafe. The teachers corralled all of the students into a make shift refuge.

The tables had been moved and the students were scattered in groups, sitting on the the floor. Most were chatting or playing games, and some were sleeping. In the corner, Akashi spotted Daiki napping with his hands behind his head. Satsuki was next to him, engrossed in a book.

Perfect.

Discretely, his eyes searched for the group that he wanted to avoid at all costs. Tonight was the night, and he didn't want any hitches in his plan. In no time, he found them against the wall, not far from the other two. The giant was eating some cheap snacks and the freak with the eye was next to him. They watched as the green-haired goon and the short one played wizards chess. It was a little strange that none of them seemed to be looking for him or Kagami, but all the better. Their ignorance would make the plan that much easier to carry out.

There was no time like the present. He crossed the hall and found his target sitting with a crowd of mudbloods and other various creatures. The blond with the jagged tooth was speaking to the vampires.

"...storm is really awesome!" he was saying with a grin. The dark haired vampire waved his hand dismissively.

"I've seen worse. Though, maybe that Miyaji will need some comforting," his red eyes flickered and he flashed a grin and nudged his friend. The snaggle-toothed boy's eye twitched.

"Gross," the silver-haired one said flatly. His soulless black eyes really suited him.

"You're just jealous, Chihiro-chan," the vampire said with a wink.

"Gross," the other one said again rolling his eyes. Next to him, the blond that Akashi sought laughed. The sound was sweet and disgusting to the Slytherin's ears. Silencing it would be a pleasure.

"Excuse me, Kise-kun," he said politely. The veela looked up at him in surprise.

"Hi Akashi, what's up?" was the blond's warm response. He plucked a chip from the tooth guy, and stood up.

"Can you come with me? I'm going to go find Kuroko."

"Ah, sure. Of course."

"Oooh, is this love?" the other blond asked with a snicker, "going on a date?"

Ryouta flushed slightly, "Ne Hayama-kun, shouldn't you go sit with your classmates or something?"

"Or find that Miyaji that you're obviously interested in?" Akashi added with a dark smirk. The blond boy nearly choked on a chip and the other mudbloods laughed and began to tease him.

"Ok, see you guys later," Ryouta said with a wave, "and tell Moriyama-kun that I borrowed a chocolate frog.

"Borrowed?" Akashi said as they walked away. He smiled what he thought was a friendly smile. The blond just laughed.

"So how're you going to find Kurokocchi? He's pretty tough to track."

Before taking out the parchment, Akashi glanced around, looking for any professors. Feeling satisfied, he unfolded the paper and mumbled the enchantment. And right before their eyes, the map of the school swirled into existence.

"He's here. It's somewhere below the school."

The footsteps weren't moving and the blond furrowed his brow. Probably concerned for the other boy. Akashi's stomach churned with distaste. After a moment, the veela trash nodded and slung his bag over his shoulder.

"Should we get Momoi?"

"Ah no," the redhead said a little too hurriedly, "we can bring him back without bothering her."

Ryouta glanced at him sidelong, but simply shrugged.

"Let's go then, Akashi."

They wound down the long staircase that descended into the deepest part of the school-- the hall of Slytherin. When they arrived at the large stone door, the blond boy hissed out the commands. Apparently, he had a knack for picking up languages.

"How impressive," Akashi said, trying to keep the sarcasm from his voice. He barely managed to keep himself from saying the "but it won't save you" that skirted his tongue.

The blond smiled and rushed through the door. They sloshed down a long, dark corridor that descended very steeply. Pools of water had formed due to the storm.

Unlike the floor, the roof wasn't angled and eventually they were in a large, empty chamber. On the wall, a row of dim blue torches ignited.

After walking about twenty feet in, Ryouta stopped suddenly and held up his hand, signaling Akashi to stop as well.

The redhead smirked, and did as he was asked. The blond tilted his head, listening intently.

"Hear that?"

A low growl echoed through the depths of the black.

"Shit, what is that?" the blond whispered. Akashi didn't keep him in suspense.

"Though you can't see it because of the storm, it's a full moon today,"he said with a sneer, "Did you know that Ryouta?" 

From the shadows, the beast stepped forward slowly. The hunched and muscled shoulders heaved with its labored breathing. Its claws clicked as it walked towards the blond. There was something strange about its white-blue eyes.

"He's been confounded," Ryouta whispered.

"Bingo. Here's your prize," Akashi laughed. In a flash, the werewolf exploded forward from his haunches, catching the young veela full on. The blond screamed as he tried to fight it off.

"Akashi, help!"

"I think you know very well that I'm not going to help," the redhead said with amusement. "You know much more about me than you've let on."

Blood dripped from Ryouta's elbow as he jumped away from the werewolf, ripping off the rest of his sleeve.

"Petrificus tot--"

"Expelliarmus."

Instantly, the blond's wand flew to the side, clattering as it landed somewhere across the room. He scrambled to escape a blow that slammed heavily into the ground next to his face. 

"Watching you die will be almost as fun killing you myself," Akashi said, taking a seat.

"Bastard," Ryouta growled. His anger was cut short when the wolf came up him again. It grabbed his thigh with his snarling jaws, dragging the young man violently across the stone floor. Its head flailed back and forth, moving its victim like a rag doll before he threw him across the room.

Before it could finish off the blond, and much to Akashi's disappointment, the beast encountered a beast of its own. Like a shadow being cast by a bright light, a mass of dark fur flew from the nothingness and engulfed the wolf.

There were a fury of snarls and growls before Akashi grew bored.

"Idiot. Bite his neck," the Slytherin said with annoyance. The werewolf moved to obey his order before the big cat could react.

"Densaugo," Akashi said calmly. The wolf snarled as his teeth grew, digging into the panther's flesh. It writhed, pawing at Kagami. But, the bite was too well placed and the struggle ended quickly. With a lurch of its strong neck, the werewolf cast the panther aside.

The dark beast flopped helplessly to the ground and a pool of blood formed under it's head. Its breath was labored. Behind it, the other creature stood motionless, waiting for a command. And in the corner of his eye, Akashi saw the blond push himself from the ground. But he was moments from death himself, and there was no way he'd be able to reach them in time.

With a smirk, the Slytherin lifted his wand, and pressed the tip into the black forehead, "poor little boy. You're a century too early to stop me. Avad--"

"Don't you touch him!"

Akashi pulled his hand back and froze, physically unable to complete the spell. His wrist couldn't move forwards; he couldn't strike the beast. Reluctantly, he put his arm down. For whatever reason, the mudblood boy had stopped him with a mere command. Likely, some sort of low veela trick.

"Oh well," the redhead said offering Ryouta a wide grin. His orange eye flashed in the dim light of the cavern, "I guess I'll just have to try again later."

He reached down and turned the face of his ring. The last thing he saw before they were pulled back through time was the blond's wide eyes.

The familiar blur and motion rushed over him. It had been awhile since he'd experienced this. The power of such strong magic elated him. Something was off though. His stomach turned as his vision cleared. With a start, he realized he had blacked out for a moment. Damn ring and its poor craftsmanship.

"Shit, what is that?" the blond whispered again.

"I'm not sure," Akashi responded just as quietly.

Just then, the wolf burst from the shadows with a howl as Akashi had commanded. With a swipe of its claw, it threw the redhead to the side. He rolled over and feigned unconscious, waiting impatiently for the arrival of the other one.

With his wand, the blond was able to stay toe to toe with the animal. He dodged the blows with grace, and moved to counter attack. But Akashi still had a few tricks up his sleeve. He mumbled an enchantment, "protego," and the veela's spells bounced off of the werewolf's hide.

The creature was about to take off the mudblood's head with a satisfying swipe of its sharpened claws when the other beast arrived. Without Akashi's help, the wolf stood no chance. With a feral growl, the panther slammed it into a wall. The beast was knocked out instantaneously and slumped to the ground. Without hesitation, the cat turned back towards the boy on the ground. 

Though he knew it was impossible, he hoped the cat would eat the mudblood. But, unfortunately it didn't. 

The dark cat stepped cautiously towards the blond and bent its head down, nuzzling its nose into the young man's outstretched palm. The mudblood ran his hand up and over the large head and rest it on the beast's neck. The cat moved closer and walked around the injured veela, wrapping its body around him as it settled down.

Akashi struggled not to gag. Sitting upright, the Slytherin let out a fake groan.

"Are you alright Kise-kun?" he poured concern into his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine," the other teen said weakly. He smiled and scratched the big cat behind its ear. It purred, a low rumbling sound and closed its eyes. He spoke to it quietly. It sounded like a warm, "how did you find me, baka?"

The Slytherin had to hold his tongue and suppress the sheer animosity he felt. The blond turned to look at him and Akashi quickly hid his distaste. 

"And you?"

"I'm fine. I take it you know this...panther?" he asked, dusting off his robes as he stood.

"Yes. So do you actually," with a fond smile he leaned forward, away from the bed of fur.

The panther growled unhappily at the movement, but stretched and stood. Before Akashi's eyes, the mass of black fur and muscles twisted and warped until instead of a beast, he was that boy. The dark skinned one. Naked as the day he was born.

The boy picked at his ear with his pinky.

"'Sup?"

"But on some clothes, idiot," the blond scolded with amusement as he threw him something from his satchel.

"Who's the idiot?!" the dark boy shouted. "I just saved your life, you god damn ingrate."

"Yeah, yeah. I said thank you, didn't I?" the blond shouted back.

"Always putting yourself in danger. And I always gotta save the day," Daiki snapped.

"Who asked you to?"

The two stood face too face. Both of them huffed in frustration.

"Ahem," Akashi cleared his throat. "Are you quite finished?"

"Ah yes, sorry," Ryouta said as he took a step, swaying a little. The dark haired one just shrugged, buckling his pants. He reached out and steadied the blond.

"Shall we then?" the redhead turned and closed the map he had been examining. He walked towards the a wall with a large carving on it. The boy-who-would-be-killed's steps were just beyond this wall.

Akashi pressed his hand to the wall, face calm as always. He doubted that a simple unlocking charm would work.

"Alohomora," the dark haired's deep voice commanded. The other two teens looked at him, eyebrows raised and unimpressed.

"What?" he asked with a shrug, "Might as well right?"

Akashi turned his eyes back to the stone carving and, with a start, realized what it was.

"A chessboard," the blond behind him muttered thoughtfully, "and it's in the middle of a game." Begrudgingly, Akashi realized that the mudblood was smarter than he looked.

The large board was about as tall as he was, and it was carved deep into the stone. The game pieces stood out from the stone, each intricately carved from a richly colored piece of granite. The board was incomplete, with the already taken pieces missing.

"Seems so," the Slytherin replied. He quickly assessed the board and realized he recognized the game being played.

"I need to play the next move," he said with a grin. Eyes wide with excitement, he found the piece he was looking for.

"Queen to B8," he said with satisfaction. When he pulled at the stone piece, it tilted forward and with a loud and drawn out creak, the door began to open. The dust billowed from where it dragged along the ground, coming up to their knees. 

"Kurokocchi!" the blond yelled, running forward.

The silhouetted figure turned around slowly, blue-eyes flashing in the mysterious light.


	13. That's Why I Brought Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long waterway and the gate. And the ominous light at the end of the tunnel.

"Hello, Akashi-kun," the silver-haired boy spoke quietly, interrupting his thoughts, "Thank you for coming."

The gaze met his, and Akashi twitched interternally. He wanted so desperately to snuff out those shining blue eyes, but the other two there made it a little more difficult--more difficult did not mean that it would be anything beyond easy though. They would all bow before him.

"Hello Kise-kun. Aomine-kun, I didn't expect you."

As tempted as Akashi was to kill the boy right then, his curiosity was peaked.

"Were you expecting _me_?"

"Not you really, but I'm not surprised. I left a map," he said flatly, "But, that doesn't matter. The storm will only get worse. We need to go."

"Where?" the panther boy asked, eyeing the water suspiciously. The blond stifled a laugh, and barely managed to clarify.

"Aominecchi doesn't really like water much," Ryouta said, gesturing towards the pool in front of them. It wasn't very large around, but Akashi got the feeling it was extremely deep. Spanning the entirety of the wall opposite them, a large carving of what looked like several merpeople and other sea creatures hung ominously. The ceiling was low, just a few feet above their heads, and damp. The rock was dark and didn't seem to catch any of the room's ghoulish glow. The water gave off a strange blueish-green light that seemed to pulse gently. But his eyes were still adjusting to the room, so the redhead wasn't sure.

"Sucks for him. That's where we need to go," Tetsuya nodded at the water.

"You could stay behind if you feel incapable, Aomine," Akashi added innocently.

The brown one flinched visibly and mumbled something about water not being able to beat him.

Always with his nonsense. Akashi ignored the beast and turned his attention to the silver-haired boy. With a sweep of his eyes, he appraised him. Despite looking relatively dry, there was a small puddle of water and a dark liquid in the stones at his feet. The Hufflepuff held his left arm at the elbow and there was smeared blood on the visible parts of his hand. His sleeve was slightly tattered.

"What did you do?" Akashi asked calmly. It was then that the blond and tanned boy both noticed the wounds.

"What the hell, Kuroko?!" said the brown one, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head.

"Kurokicchi! Are you alright?" the blond asked. His voice was laced with concern as he knelt down by the other boy's arm. Tetsuya just blinked.

"Yes. I'm fine. But I couldn't beat them alone, so I waited."

"Them?" the redhead raised his eyebrow.

As if to punctuate his point, something surfaced for a moment from the eerie green and blue water. It was only then that the newly arrived trio noticed that just below the surface the pool was alive with motion. There were dozens of eelish, sharklike creatures slinking around in the glowing liquid. Every so often one would surface and snap at the air before slinking down, leaving ripples in the otherwise calm water.

"An underwater hallway," the blond noted, "And this water..."

"Why isn't the storm affecting it?" Akashi asked. He knew this was a nice chance to end them all, but this was all too fascinating. Their deaths could wait just a few more minutes.

"This is the eye. Something down there is causing the storm. That's why I came," Tetsuya said calmly.

"By yourself? Are you crazy?!?" exclaimed the blond with annoying ferocity. He grabbed the Hufflepuff's shoulders and shook him semi-gently.

"No, I'm not," Tetsuya said as he slipped from the other's grip, "we're wasting time. Let's go. There's a gate at the bottom that we need to open."

That was his cue, Akashi gripped his wand tighter. But, he was caught off guard by the blond's well-timed question. The blond always seemed to surprise him.

"Can you do the bubble charm, Akashi-kun?"

The redhead barely suppressed the scoff and annoyed glare itching to make their presence known, "of course."

"Great! Can you cast it for each of us? You can head with Kurokocchi to that gate thing? Aomine and I will cover your backs."

In the grand scheme of things, it would be easiest to kill the silver-haired one when they were alone. Akashi could make it look like an accident and catch the veela and animangus boy off-guard. If he were honest, part of him wanted to see this gate and part of him had unexplainable trouble denying a request from the blond.

"You'll do it. Right, Akashi?" the veela's melodiously irksome voice seemed like it was pressing down on the redhead. It unnerved him how it unwittingly weakened his resolve. But true to form, he didn't let its effect on him show.

"Of course," with what he hoped was a passably kind smile, the Slytherin turned to Tetsuya, "are you ready?"

The other boy nodded and Akashi cast the charm. Within seconds, a thin film of blue encased all of their heads. The world looked like it had had too much too drink, and wobbled slightly with each movement of their heads. Without a word, Ryouta tipped his wand and cast a rather powerful stupify-esque charm (Akashi guessed) and the water was still.

Impressive for a mudblood.

"It won't last long, but after you're down there we'll be able to hold them off. Right, Aomine?" the veela said with a grin and a peace sign.

The taller boy picked at his ear, "Yeah yeah. Just don't hold me back."

"Alright, alright," Ryouta rolled his eyes gently and smirked.

Akashi groaned internally. Their interactions really were the worst. Despite the slight sense of foreboding he had, the redhead peeled off his robes and jumped into the water just to escape the idiot duo.

After a few moments, there was a splash and the silver-haired one joined him followed shortly by the blond. The dark one didn't appear.

"He's staying," the blond yelled. His voice was muffled heavily by the water and Akashi just managed to make out what was said. The redhead nodded and turned to follow the Hufflepuff; he had already begun to dive. The water wrapped around his slim shoulders and a small flourish of bubbles in his wake.

The veela one followed slowly, trailing behind to watch for any creatures. His body was every bit as attractive as his face. The surprisingly defined muscle tone of his chest was a clear nod to his athletic prowess. The boy's blond hair haloed his head and he looked every bit the divine water creature. It made the prospect of killing him all that more pleasurable for the redhead.

Akashi stretched, relishing the pleasure of complete control of his appendages for the first time in a long time. He waggled his fingers and rolled his shoulders. Usually, there was still a nagging from 'big brother' in the back of his mind, but it had been different this time. It was almost like the other one was dead...hah, even Akashi could dream. But, at least he would be able to get rid of the other two and crush chance his 'friends' would have of bringing that 'other one' back.

The Ravenclaw girl and the green haired freak would likely figure it out, but they would have no way of beating him. Again, he was getting ahead of himself. It was too easy when he knew that in the end, he would be victorious.

The Slytherin allowed himself a small smile as he lengthened his stroke. The trio dove deeper-- deep enough that the surface of the water became a memory. The blond was further and further back. Akashi wanted to laugh at how perfect the situation was.

Strangely, no matter how deep they dove, the eerie glow in the water remained. As he glanced to the side, he realized that along the narrow walls of the impossibly deep pool there were green and blue weeds that swayed in the waves they made. Every so often, another flash of light caught his eye-- the blond incapacitating another beast. It seemed like most of the creatures had been lurking at the top. As they dove deeper, only a few random things slinked about.

But just then, the danger began anew. The eelsharks that he assumed were only at the top were suddenly around them again. The spell like the one the blond had originally use wouldn't work now that they were in the water, so they would have to beat the nasty things one by one.

Up close, the things were even uglier. Their heads ended in a narrow point and as one opened its mouth to bite off Akashi's hand, he noticed three sets of very pointy teeth. He pushed his wand tip into the opened jaws and cast a silent spell. The creature practically shriveled.

The young man turned just as another one of those things lunged at him. With ease, he cast a different spell. It froze and drifted askew past him; its beady eyes frantically flying from side to side to no avail. In the flurry of slick bodies, he caught a glimpse of the Hufflepuff and set of a curse. The burst of energy cut through the water like a bullet...but just missed the other boy's shoulder. Unfortunate.

Akashi set of two more shots to no avail. He frowned slightly, and turned his attention back to the attacking beasts. After he bested four or five of the creatures, the Hufflepuff caught his eye and motioned for him. The silver-haired boy had a tiny furrow in his brow and a small scowl. On his arm, the long gash that had caused the blood earlier was now visible. Despite his deep hatred for the boy, Akashi still felt tempted to heal the thing.

"We need to go," came the garbled explanation, "Kise will take care of the rest."

The redhead glanced back to see the golden veela swimming swiftly towards them, easily staying out of reach of the creatures. He had a grin, and seemed to thoroughly enjoy knocking the beasts out.

Akashi nodded and the continued on their endless journey down. When the blond was almost out of sight, the Slytherin spoke.

"Incarcerous."

In an instant, the veela became tense and seemed to flail his legs, unable to lift his arms. And with another flick of Akashi's wrist, the other boy's bubble head dissipated into nothing. The blond began swimming frantically upwards. It was too bad that his undoubtedly panicked expression wasn't visible from this distance.

"Hmm. And how long will he last?" Akashi whispered with a grin. His eyes were still wide with pleasure as he turned back to Tetsuya. The boy's form had gained some distance from him. And Akashi quickened his swimming to catch up.

When he neared the other boy, he had stopped in front of a large stone structure. Just a few feet from it, a magical barrier stripped them of their bubbles, yet they could still breath. Delightful.

The gate stood at more than three times their heights and was covered with an intricate pattern of leaves and waves. The lines caressed the forms of several merpeople, a giant squid, and other underwater creatures that Akashi had never seen before. A large sun crested in the center of the mural.

The smaller boy stood dwarfed before the giant entrance and traced his fingers along the stone. Akashi slowly approached him. The other boy's shoulders sagged and he leaned his head back. The boy closed his eyes.

"So this is it, eh Tetsuya?" Akashi said with a grin. He touched the point of his wand to the tip of his finger and spun it slowly. He heard a soft sigh escape the other ones lips.

"No, I don't think it is," the grey blue eyes met his as the boy turned around, "Where is he?"

"He? Hmm. He's gone," Akashi chucked as the other's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Liar! _No_ , he's not. What did you do to him?"

The redhead tilted his head, and thought for a moment before he responded.

" _I_ didn't do anything actually. One of those ridiculous mer-creatures freed me. I'm not at all sure what's happened to my weak other half," the word practically dripped from his tongue, "he feels pretty gone to me."

The silver-haired boy clenched his fists and shouted with more ferocity than Akashi thought he had in him. "No! You're wrong! He _will_ come back."

He took a deep breath, then continued with a shaky, but much calmer voice, "For now, you're going to help me."

The boy's voice suddenly held a golden and melodious quality. Very similar to that disgusting veela. It was deeper and more commanding.

Akashi's vision blurred for a moment and he blacked out.

When he woke up, he was on a beach.

 

_The waves soaked what was left of his yukata and splashed gently into his face. The cold saltiness was startling, but somehow refreshing. Under his back, the damp sand circled slowly and matter in his hair. He blinked slowly, holding his hand up to shade his eyes and stop the intense sun from blinding him. When he was able, he tipped his head slowly to the side to better look at his surroundings._

_Beautiful, but something was off._

_In front of him was a long strip of white sand. Various debris was scattered across the otherwise pure landscape. Small tide pools ebbed and swirled. Probably a result of the storm...The storm._

_The terrible storm that destroyed his ship._

_How did he know there had been a storm? And what ship was he thinking of?_

_He pushed himself up agonizingly on to his palms and felt a strange weight on his hands. His entire body ached and he felt like he'd aged years. The sheen of a ring on his finger glinted in the sun._

_The ring._

_From the veela._

_And now he understood._

_The world began to swirl in an all too familiar way. The pull violently slung him into reality._

 

His head began to clear and he found himself in a familiar pair of arms. There was a deep comfort that stirred something inside of him. That something needed to be snuffed out. As soon as he opened his eyes, the other boy stood up, leaving Akashi on the ground.

"Where's my affection? No love for little brother?"

"Get up," came the flat response. The voice rang like a bell in Akashi's ears. And for whatever reason, the redhead felt compelled to do as he was bid. He laughed coldly at the realization and his orange eye burned a hole in the other boy's back. His voice was icy when he spoke, "How long have you been able to do that, pray tell?"

The Hufflepuff's reply held an edge of loathing and no intention to back down, "Always. Now, help me open the door."

Moving of its own volition, Akashi's hand pressed against a small square on the door's surface. The silver-haired boy did the same, and instantly the door began to glow. Then, slowly, it swung open and a bright yellow light spilled from the opening in thick rays. And then, they saw them.

"Shit," Tetsuya whispered.

In the blink of an eye, they were swarmed by unhappy selkies. Their slick locks swirled wildly about their heads and each brandished a sort of rudimentary weapon. They surrounded the two boys and corralled them into the large chamber. The ceilings were vaulted with pillars that looked like spreading tree trunks. The branches created a mesmerizing support system.

Akashi could tell it was a throne room because at the far edge sat a fat, decrepit selkie in a large throne of stone. Its eyes squinted as it looked them over.

"You come for her?" the voice asked. It had a strange, inhuman lilt to it.

The response surprised Akashi. Without a trace of fear, the silver-haired boy stepped forward.

"Yes. She doesn't belong here," he said curtly.

There was a ripple of hissing and murmuring among the merpeople.

"She's an abomination. As are you," the fat fish said languidly. Its voice was laden with contempt as it lifted off from its chair. Slowly, almost swaggering, it swam towards them.

"You all deserve to die. You and your blood betrayal," spat another nearby mermaid. She was long and slender; including her tail, she was taller than the Hufflepuff boy. However, she was the largest female Akashi saw.

"That's against the code. Please, return her," Tetsuya said, bowing slightly despite the coldness of his words.

"You choose, the boy or her?" the fat one's yellowed daggers of teeth showed as it smiled. Its hand gestured to Akashi.

"Both!" shouted the Hufflepuff, brandishing his wand. "Stop them Seijuro!"

Akashi felt a jolt through his spine, and began to fight. He couldn't count how many times he used the immobulus spell before the other young man spoke to him again.

"That's her in the corner. We need to bring her and leave. I'll hold them off, and you get her," the grey eyes were pleading with him, but the voice was firm and commanding.

"As you wish," the redhead said with a slight snarl. Not being able to control himself was really starting to piss him off. But maybe he could--

"And come straight back to me. Alive. Both of you. Hurry!" the other boy barked (as much or a bark as was possible for him).

At that level of specificity, and mind reading, the Slytherin actually pushed the breath through his teeth in an unhappy hiss. But no matter his discontent, he swam like lightning towards the cage.

Inside was something so incredible, he stopped. He simply stopped functioning for a moment.

In the thick bars of the steel cage was a mermaid, or so it seemed. But her features were so graceful and so obviously human that she couldn't possibly have been a real mermaid. There was a distinct pink hue to her cheeks that was also very unlike the grey-green of the selkie. Her white hair was pulled back in a small bun on the top of her head. And the most striking difference from the mermaids was that she had a small blue vest.

The woman (fish) floated unconscious in the center of her prison.

"Alhomora!" he spoke imperiously. In a flash, she was freed and in his arms. And he was darting back to that bossy little runt fighting the fish people.

"Follow me Seijuro!" the boy shouted.

As soon as the words were spoken, Akashi's vision blurred for a moment and a thick pain pulsed through his mind. He gritted his teeth and pushed that sleeping presence into what he hoped was oblivion.

The silver-haired boy had made a valiant effort, but their exit was blocked. The seething selkie swarm formed a unbreakable barrier at the door.

At their center, the tall female mermaid hovered imposingly.

"All or one, we don't care," it hissed through jagged teeth, "a soul must be given in exchange."

"Take his," moaned their prisoner in response, "that's why I brought him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this update is pretty quick, but it felt like a good place to leave it. 
> 
> Also I haven't said this yet (which is very surprising), but I am so glad that readers are enjoying this. I never thought in a million years I'd get this many hits or kudos. HAHA! Such a great surprise!
> 
> Thank you for reading. I hope you keep enjoying it.
> 
> *** update: just in case you were wondering what happened to Kise, you can read [ this fic ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4503780). It didn't fit in the flow of the story, but if you're looking for romance... haha. ****


	14. The Old Woman From the Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The old woman and the sea comes at Akashi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You probably thought this was going to be a story about quidditch. haha... oops. Also, the last chapter wasn't completely finished when I accidentally posted it so if you feel like you're missing something...you probably are.

"Brought me?" the redhead asked incredulously.

The silver-haired boy's jaw fell slack and his eyes grew impossibly large.

"No," he whispered.

The prisoner's long white hair swirled around her as she pushed off of the redhead. She floated in front of him, her eyes a cold, dark grey. She continued speaking as if she hadn't heard either youth.

"He is indebted to our family. His ancestor knew the choice he made that day," her voice held a resonance like a worn, iron bell, "we will trade his soul for mine. End of story."

"No!" the young Hufflepuff shouted, grabbing Akashi's arm and pulling him back.

"Great-grandmother!" came a voice from the entrance. The mermaids had managed to wrangle their would-be, blond savior. "Let him go!" Ryouta growled. His face had a clear expression of betrayal. The beings holding him struggled to keep him in their hold.

The old woman sighed, "Release my grandson."

Her glare was frightening enough that the two merpeople who held the veela quickly released him. He strode over to Akashi and stood between him and the old woman-- if you could call her that. His golden eyes flashed.

"You can't take him," he said firmly.

The old hag rolled her eyes, "he's an Akashi. You of all people know what that means."

"But he's our friend," the blond barked, each word enunciated and biting.

"You've just met him. You are always too sentimental. Besides, it's either him or us," came the annoyed response. She turned to Akashi and her dark eyes met his with a flash. Behind her, the fat skelpie pushed to the front of the group. A grin spread on his face and grew larger as the gap closed. "Give yourself up, Akashi Seijuro."

Akashi felt his limbs push him towards the mercreature. His exhaustive efforts to stop had no affect on his progress.

"Filthy creature!" he spat, helpless for the first time in his life.

"I should say the same about you," the old woman drawled with a dry chuckle. Next to her, the blond pushed forward but was quickly tackled by four merpeople.

"Stop, Sei-chan!" he shouted with what breath he had.

"I'm a century older than you, poor boy. Seniority counts. The merpeople can handle you while we finish this," the hag said. What beauty was once there, seemingly melted from her face as her lips twisted into a grin, her eyes turned back to Akashi. "Kneel."

Akashi slowly got to his knees, internally seething, furious beyond any possible comprehension.

In his hand, the selkie ruler held a long wooden staff, topped with a large, milky quartz. The fat selkie lifted the weapon and brought it down on the Slytherin's head-- but it didn't make contact. Instead, it hit Kuroko. A trail of blue light dragged between the young man and the stone. The silver-haired boy's mouth opened wide and his cheeks became hollow. His eyes flickered between empty black sockets and glowing white ones. The aura surrounding him was funneled into the staff...It looked horrifyingly similar to a dementor attack.

Akashi's eyes grew big, as did Kise's. The old woman stepped back in horror.

The shadow had come out of nowhere, as he was prone to do, and even though he knew who the Slytherin was (or was not), Kuroko had saved him. He had saved Akashi and the redhead would never get the chance to thank him...or even say goodbye. Or anything.

The blood flowed past his ears and loudly drummed in his brain as the world around him grew silent. In the corner of his eye, he saw the old woman take a step forward.

"Langlock," he said, effectively silencing her before she had the chance to speak. "I might not be able to kill you, but at least I can shut you up."

With a mumbled outcry she moved to strike Akashi, but Kise held her back. Quickly, the blond pulled her to the edge of the room-- he knew something was desperately wrong.

Akashi ground his teeth into a sickening grin as a sharp piercing, drilled through his head. His eyes pressed shut as the intensity of the pain cut through every nerve. He felt a surge of raw power course through him and into the tip of his wand. Everyone around him would soon understand that feeling...to be cut through.

"You will all kneel before me!" his guttural cry ripped through the silent room. And then it began. His wand flashed as it pulsed various colors of hexes and curses throughout the room. Cries of agony and spreading blood told him he was doing it right.

Both eyes flashed a fiery orange as he turned on another group of merpeople.

"Asphyxia," he said, frost thick with each spell, "brachia seperatum."

The blood clouded the water in thick maroon bursts. The young man continued his rampage until no merperson was left.  He stood at the center of the large room, breathing heavily, bright orange eyes still ablaze. Around him, there was a haze of red, like an aura of death. His shoulders were pulled back and he was flexing and un-flexing the fingers of his hands, but somehow managing to hold on to the wand. The feral feeling seemed to steam from his skin.

At the side of the chamber, the former prisoner sat slumped against the wall with her tail limp in front of her, face frozen in shock. The blond who had been with her was already approaching the Slytherin. Against all reason, Kise was not afraid; he had some experience with raging beasts after all. And this was his friend. With golden eyes wet with empathy, he reached out to the other young man.

"This doesn't bring him back," he said quietly, wrapping his hand around the other youth's. Akashi still gripped his wand tightly, unyielding despite the caress of Kise's fingertips over his knuckles.

The soft amber eyes met the glowing orange ones and the veela spoke again, fluidly pulling Akashi into an engulfing hug.

"It's alright, Sei-chan," he whispered, "this isn't your fault."

Slowly and reflexively, the redhead wrapped his arms around the other young man's back and pushed his nose into the blond's chest. He closed his eyes and inhaled the scent that was Kise, a cool ocean breeze. It made him strangely nostalgic. And as it always did, the presence of the veela calmed him, washing over him like the tide. In this case though, Akashi was barely consolable. The tears felt hot in his eyes as they threatened to fall.

Two surprisingly strong hands hand his shoulders and pushed Akashi gently to standing. He met the golden eyes again, but this time they were ablaze. Carefully, but purposefully, the blond held the other teen's hand so their palms pressed together and the long fingers wrapped around the redhead's hand, grip firm. Unexpectedly, the veela smiled.

"Save him," he said calmly. With a quick movement, he turned the face of Akashi's ring-- their ring. The world around him blurred and began to move. Their connection was lost and the familiar pull felt all the more sickening when the chamber around him was filled with bursts of crimson. The carnage he had caused was a sickening reminder of the possible consequences of any of his mistakes. And then, everything fell into place and the world was clear.

 

 

"Kneel," said the old hag with a smirk. The redhead's eyes quickly darted around the room, finding his friend after just a few moments.

"Kuroko," Akashi said calmly, on his knees, "Please don't."

As if out of thin air, the Hufflepuff appeared, a shocked and worried look smeared across his face. He looked even paler than usual, his skin taking on a white glow.

"No, Akashi. You don't have to do this!" the silver-haired teen shouted.

"He's right!" Kise huffed from under the mountain of merpeople.

The fat selkie approached with his toothy grin and yellow eyes aglow with pleasure. The scepter in his hand swayed as he drew near.

Kuroko moved to stop him, but Akashi quickly grabbed his wrist.

"Please, Trust me Tetsuya."

His red eyes were pleading, but commanding at the same time.

Kuroko swallowed heavily and held still, straining to restrain himself. Akashi looked over at Kise, who had a puzzled look on his face. Since they came back together, he probably had that sense of deja vu that Himuro sometimes had. Thinking of what the other young man had done, the Slytherin felt that respect and pride in his friend swell up. It made him feel just a little more brave about what he was going to do-- what he was going to inflict upon himself.

The scepter came down and the quartz began to glow. Though he had witnessed it once, the redhead still felt a tingle of fear skirt his spine-- a very justified fear, he soon learned.

In his mind, he focused all his will and control until he found what he was looking for. He prayed to whoever was listening that he was doing the right thing.

Then, it began. A wrenching of what made him, him. He felt like water that was quickly being pulled down a drain. As his eyes fluttered shut, he saw the orange steam of light flow from his body to the top of the stone. It was beyond painful.

He fell to his hands as the world went black.

In an instant, Kuroko and Kise swept under Akashi's arms and lift him up. The lifeless arms draped over their shoulders as they made their way towards the exit.

"This was for the best--" began the old woman.

"Please, don't speak," Kuroko ground out through his teeth. The blond young man was too angry to say anything or even spare a glance for their ancestor. Kuroko looked at him with resolve, "Maybe there's something that headmaster can do. Let's take him up quickly, Kise."

The veela nodded and the two pressed towards the gate, ignoring the mercreatures that surrounded them.

"Move!" Kise barked at the few merpeople who floated in front of the door. They scattered, leaving a trail of bubbles in their wake. Fear was evident in their wide, yellow eyes.

As they entered the cold water, their muscles tensed and their breath was stolen. The blond quickly cast the bubble charm for his two friends. He himself didn't need one-- something Kuroko had found impressive since they were kids. In fact, there were many things that the Hufflepuff admired about his cousin (including how the young man now turned into an aquatic creature).

The golden skin turned a pale blue, and his barefeet lengthened, extending into flippers. Three fins sprouted from his back--one small one on each shoulder blade and a long thin fin along his spine. His forearms also had two long, semi-translucent fins. Silvery webs had formed between his fingers, allowing him to swim that much more quickly.

The most striking thing, however, was his face. Despite the change, he somehow still remained model handsome. The blond's long hair flowed back from his face as he swam upwards. Extending into the golden locks were the tips of his now long and pointed ears. They also attached to his jaw seamlessly. On his forehead, prominent ridges stood out instead of the once smooth skin. His eyes under them seemed to glow especially bright, and as he blinked another set of eyelids was visible.

With his new ability to move through the water, the trio was able to get to the surface in no time. Just before they pushed into the cool air of the cavern, the blond transformed back. Kuroko knew that the other teen wanted to keep his abilities a secret for a number of reasons. He understood the famous model's desire for secrecy-- even stars wanted some privacy.

The two friends pushed Akashi's body up onto the stone ledge before pulling themselves out. Several sets of hands were there to help him.

"Sei-chan!" came a pained, high pitched cry. Satsuki pulled him into her arms where she knelt, not giving two shits about how wet she was getting.

"Let me take a look, Satsuki," Midorima said quietly. The young woman obliged him by leaning back just enough to give him access to the Slytherin's body.

Kuroko stood to the side, dripping, with his hands balled into white knuckled fists. Kise eyes dragged over the group, looking. Near the entrance, Kagami was holding his side and leaning on his brother, Himuro. His midsection was bandaged, as well as the side of his head. The teen wore only a pair of tattered pants.

Next to them, Takao stood, biting his nails. His eyes darted to each spot that the green-haired Ravenclaw inspected. Finally, Kise found who he was looking for. He stepped quickly around the group and wrapped his arms around the young man's neck. The dark-haired youth placed a chaste kiss on the lips he had worried so much about. No one seemed to notice or if they did, no one cared. That wasn't what was important right now.

"He's alive," Midorima said, relief obvious in his voice, "but he's in some sort of coma. We'll need to take him upstairs."

The group visibly relaxed, if even just a bit. Kuroko looked up from where he'd been staring at the ground, a trail of tears evident on his red cheeks.

"I can carry Aka-chin to the nurse," Murasakibara chimed in. He had been standing in the corner quietly the whole time. Everyone knew how much he looked up to the Slytherin, and how much this would affect the younger Hufflepuff. He shuffled over, trying to hide his tears with his long purple hair. He leaned down and lifted Akashi's limp form easily. The group began the long, weary ascent to the infirmary.

For three long days, Akashi Seijuro was lost. You know how a minute can feel like a lifetime when you dream? Well, the Slytherin lived a decade in the depths of his mind for those three days. As he floated, he reveled in the strange feeling--the solitude he was experiencing for the first time. He swam from thought to thought and wandered through the landscape of his mind. The freedom he now experienced was like nothing he had ever imagined. But, he knew he had to go back to the real world.

When his eyes finally fluttered open, the room was dark. It took him a moment to orient himself. The beds of the infirmary were mostly empty. He tilted his head slowly to the left to look at the dark figure lying in the spot next to his. The tanned skin and large muscular build was obviously Aomine Daiki. There seemed to be a large shadow draped over him as his chest rose and fell in a calm and steady rhythm.

On Akashi's own bed, a cascade of red hair covered his arm. A warm, small palm and a set of delicate fingers were melded with his own. The small set of shoulders rest on the edge of his bed and the young woman's other arm was tucked under her cheek. He smiled fondly at his friend, wanted to pat her head and assure her that he was fine.

His tired eyes swept the room and he found a head of silver hair at the foot of his bed. The Hufflepuff was curled up on a small bench. Worry was visible on his angelic face, even in sleep. The young man undoubtedly shouldered the blame for Akashi's current state. The redhead turned back to the young woman at his side.

"Satsuki," he whispered, weakly petting the red hair. He squeezed her hand gently and repeated her name. The slight form shifted gently and mumbled in her sleep before suddenly snapping to attention. Instantly, she began to cry.

"Sei-chan," she choked out, wrapping her arms around her neck. She quickly pulled back to look into his eyes, her own eyes brimming with tears, "It's you, isn't it?"

"Yes," he whispered hoarsely. His friend looked him once over and in one deft motion acquired a cup. She held it to his lips.

"Aguamenti," she said and offered him the liquid. For his dry throat, it was like rain on a hot summer day. He drank two more glasses before he spoke.

"I missed you," he said with a gentle smile. The tears began to fall again and Momoi could only nod in answer. Akashi pet her head softly as she collapsed onto his shoulder.

"You're awake," a voice from the corner of the room said. He spoke matter-of-factly, but the Slytherin could hear the sheer hidden happiness of the sentence. The speaker was one of his closest friends, after all.

"I am," Akashi said calmly as Midorima moved closer. The green-haired teen adjusted his glasses and wrote something on the clipboard he carried.

"Good. How do you feel?"

"A little sore, but overall I feel fine. I don't think there's anything to worry about Shintarou."

At the sound of his name, Midorima cracked a small smile. He quickly cleared his throat and walked towards the exit.

"I'll let Kiz--Takao and Himuro-kun know they can visit you in the morning," with that he stepped into the darkness, briskly moving towards the hallway. There was a moment of silence before another voice spoke up. The shadow appeared at the right side of his bed.

The young man with silver hair bowed deeply as he spoke.

"I'm sorry for putting you in danger. I knew your state, but I needed you to open the door. You are the only one I trust completely and the door only opens for two people who share complete trust," he said in a hurried train of words, "I thought you would be fine because you are Akashi. But I almost got you killed. I'm very, very sorry."

With that he bowed somehow deeper, avoiding the redhead's eyes.

Akashi sat up (with some effort) and released Momoi's hand and picked up the wand at his bedside. He grinned as he moved his wrist deftly.

"Accio, collar," he said decidedly. The pull of Kuroko's robes threw him to the edge of the bed. The Slytherin reached up and grabbed the dark cloth next to the other youth's neck. Without a word, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to the stunned Hufflepuff's.

Kuroko's eyes went from wide, to closed tightly in just moments and his hands found their way to Akashi's nape. The redhead moved his lips slowly, savoring the feeling of the soft mouth under his. The silver-haired youth leaned into the embrace. He gently swept his tongue between them, tasting the vanilla he'd always expected, for the first time.

Feeling weak, Akashi slowly pulled away and fell back into his pillow. The silver-haired teen straightened, an awed look on his face. He stood perfectly still for a moment.

"Maybe I should apologize more often," Kuroko finally mumbled, earning a giggle from Momoi.

"No need for that," Akashi said with a smile. Suddenly, movement to his left caught his eye.

Where there was once just one young man, there were now two. A familiar shock of blond hair was visible on the dark shoulder as the shadow cloak that he was likely using slipped to the side.

The blond spoke almost incoherently with a sleepy smile, "I'm so glad you're 'k, 'kash'chi."

"Thank you, Kise-kun. Please, go back to sleep."

The other young man nodded and pulled the cloak back over him. Aomine just snored a little and wrapped an arm around the veela's shoulders possessively.

"And the others?" Akashi asked, looking into the impossibly bright blue eyes of his friend.

"Kagami was a little injured, but he's fine. He knows that it wasn't really _you_ who was controlling him. Also, the storm passed without anyone getting hurt." Kuroko said. "Thanks to you," he added quietly.

"Get some sleep, Sei-chan," Satsuki said, pushing the Slytherin's hair from his forehead. She leaned down and gave him a soft kiss.

"You have a big game," she added with a smirk. Akashi had all but forgotten about the quidditch cup.

"That I do," the redhead responded with a grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost there! I'll post a few in between chapter things (mostly Aokise or Kiseo) when the fic is finished. Hopefully that will satisfy any lack-of-romance feelings that anyone may have. Thanks for reading!


	15. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The championship game, a surprise hero and (of course) a twist. OR, the championship game and the epilogue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an epilogue of sorts and my attempt to add a little more actual quidditch to this story.

Akashi reveled in the sun's warmth and thick rays. It felt like an eternity since he'd seen the blinding light or felt the intense heat. To him, he guessed, it _had_ been quite awhile.

The air was crisp, clean, and cool in a way that a only post-storm day could be. He glanced up at the clear, blue-sky and the full bleachers just above them. Every student was ready for the championship, and each one seemed to shouting at the top of their lungs. It was pleasantly deafening-- especially compared to the silence and solitude that he'd just experienced.

He glanced up as a flash of black sped past his head. The grinning chaser flashed him a victory sign and turned to wave at the crowd. Takao was enjoying being a crowd favorite (for once). Akashi allowed himself a small smile as he chided loudly.

"Don't get used to this Takao-kun. We are still Slytherin players, you know."

"And don't forget it," the Ravenclaw beater said with a smirk. Aida Riko smacked Takao just hard enough (by Akashi's standards) with her bat as she flew by. Their captain raised her eyebrow at Akashi and he gave her a small bow.

"Welcome back, Akashi-kun."

"Thank you, Captain Aida."

"We missed you last game," she said, flying back so that she was next to him. Her eyes were focused on the opposing team.

"You did well enough without me. You still won."

With a slightly evil grin, she turned back to him, "It would have been more nice to win by more."

She laughed as she flew away, shouting something to Kagami who tried unsuccessfully to cower behind Murasakibara.

The redhead surveyed the rest of the field. The Beauxbatons team was warming up in their light blue uniforms. The well-tailored, short-collared jackets were trimmed with silver. They wore dark grey riding pants and black boots, though each pair seemed to have slight variations. Kise's flash of blond hair was easy to pick out, as was Reo's long black hair. But, even with his sharp eyes, it took him a moment to spot their chaser. However, finding his own Hogwarts chaser was not problem.

"You'll be excellent. Don't be nervous, Kuroko-kun," he said, turning to pat his friend on the shoulder. The silver-haired boy, who had seemingly appeared from nowhere, blushed gently.

"Yes. I'm trying."

Akashi reached out and ruffled the young man's hair affectionately. Kuroko closed his eyes for a moment, then reached up to squeeze the redhead's hand. The touch sent a bolt through Akashi's spine and an unshakable feeling of contentedness and connectivity. 

"Thank you, Seijuro."

The Slytherin gave his friend a warm smile as he tightened his grip on his hand. 

"Of course, Tetsuya."

The Hufflepuff nodded to the redhead with a small smile before beginning his pregame flight ritual. Kuroko seemed to flicker from existence as he moved. Their black uniforms did little to solidify him. The sport robes themselves, however, were much to Akashi's liking. Instead of their own house colors, the Hogwarts' robe was a deep black. But each was trimmed with the player's house colors. The Slytherin's was of course lined with green, while Kagami's was red, the Ravenclaws' blue and the three Hufflepuff's all had a striking yellow cloth visible at their collars and in their slightly baggy sleeves. They all wore the whitish, khaki-ish riding pants and black boots. Akashi floated higher to where the other chasers were grouped.

"Shintarou, I heard you were the star last game," he said, offering the Ravenclaw a rare, toothy grin (meaning some of his teeth showed... a bit).

Midorima pushed up his glasses and cleared his throat, a tint of crimson creeping up his neck and cheeks. But before he could speak, Takao gushed excitedly,

"Shin-chan was incredible! He did a full pitch shot against that Hayama guy and the kid nearly shit himself, I kid you not! Shit. Him. Self!"

The Slytherin laughed boisterously as he thumped the red-faced Ravenclaw on the back. If it were anybody else, the sullen green-haired teen might have been angry, but...well, it wasn't someone else.

"Without Aomine, they didn't really stand a chance," Himuro added. He'd uncharacteristically worn a headband for the game, so his magical eye was visible. And for once, it held still, focused solely on Akashi.

"Are you feeling ok?" he asked, the concern he tried to hide sneaking through. The other players turned to look at him. Most of them knew very well the ordeal he'd gone through, but he was quite sure that neither Teppei nor Kensuke knew the complete truth.

"I'm feeling very much myself," the Slytherin captain said with amusement. His friends would understand the deeper meaning of the statement and the other two would be satisfied--Akashi really was quite clever with words.

Himuro seemed to let out a breath he'd been holding, "that's great. Atsushi will be happy to hear it."

The purple haired giant was floating at the sidelines, munching on a croissant. When he saw the team look at him, he gave them a small wave before returning to snack consumption.

"I guess everyone has their pre-game rituals," Kensuke said as he scratched his chin.

"That's actually his default setting," responded Himuro with a kind smile. His fondness of the younger teen was well-known, though no one had ever questioned its reason.

The Ravenclaw seeker, Kensuke, nodded before excusing himself,

"I'm going to do some warm-ups. Shin-chan. C'mon."

With a grumble, Midorima did as he was told; Kensuke really did have an excellent knack for handling the often socially inept primadona (though Akashi had never found him to be thus).

"Who do you think will start?" Teppei asked as their captain arrived. She tilted her head.

"Hmm. Of course Akashi-kun; he will need to stay with Kise-kun. The tall vampire is a definite outside threat, so I think it's best if either you or I target him constantly. Kagami-kun doesn't have enough experience with attractive people, so it's best if he is in reserve until the second half. We'll need our shadow to keep up with their shadow. I don't know that Kensuke will have a chance to play. He's good, but he's too visible."

Akashi and Teppei both nodded in agreement. They were both leaders of their own teams and understood the impact of experience and also taking advantage of match-ups.

"The other two chasers?" Teppei asked. Riko turned to Akashi.

"What do you think, Akashi-kun?"

"Takao-kun and Midorima-kun can start. They work quite well together. But when you put Kagami in, it's best if Himuro plays. They also have a strong connection. And with Teppei, we can have a strong inside game. The increased action will be more of a distraction for the Beauxbatons' chaser. Of course, Murasakibara is keeper."

"Yeah, I think that goes without saying. The kid is a monster," Teppei grinned.

Just then, the whistle blew and Professor Garcia waved them towards the ground. The Hogwarts team huddled around as Momoi (their manage) explained their strategy; it was exactly as they had predicted. The only adjustment being that Kensuke would start (just for the sake of his pride, Akashi thought) and Teppei was assigned to specifically watch for the redhead.

"They will be targeting you," their manager said with a slight edge in her voice. Her hair was straight and fiery red today. Her eyes, however, were a mismatched blue and yellow. In her own way, she was still supporting their veela friend--even though he would be inevitably crushed.

The whistle blew again and the starters made their way to the center of the pitch, flying into their aerial positions. Across from Akashi, the golden boy himself smiled sunnily.

"It's good to see that you're playing, Akashicchi. Beating you guys would be no fun without you."

The redhead chuckled at that, a thing he found himself doing a lot around the blonde, "You're a century to early to beat Hogwarts."

He pulled at his green collar at tilted his head in challenge. And at that, Kise laughed happily. The veela loved a good challenge. Only the best players (like a certain redhead) could offer him that. But, he was playing Kurokocchi's team today, so he knew not to underestimate them. His cousin (though seemingly innocent and straightforward) always had something up his sleeve. The blond waved at his beloved relative enthusiastically.

Looking down the line, Akashi spotted the vampire duo. Reo Mibuchi had his long black hair pulled back. The short, priest-like collar of the Beauxbatons uniform really suited him the Slytherin thought absently. The chaser's eyes were a deep shade of red.

"Akashi-chan!" he said with a grin. His long incisors glinted in the sunlight. The redhead offered him a polite smile and a nod. Next to the vampire, Chihiro Mayuzumi gave Akashi a blank look and tipped his head. The other shadow chaser had grey hair, and deep black eyes-- he was basically a darkened version of Kuroko. And with that thought, the Slytherin had the strange sense that he would have fit in quite well on the Beauxbatons team had he gone there. Despite their quirks, he felt an affinity for the vampire youths and a inexplicable longing for their companionship.

But, it was just an odd passing feeling. Akashi was also at home at Hogwarts, and as a Slytherin with Takao and Himura. As if on cue, he spotted the eagle eye getting into position. Their slotted eyes met for a second and then the redhead turned his head to nod towards Shintaro. The green-haired teen adjusted his goggles (solely used for game play) and returned the gesture.

The crowd surged, lifting them with their straining voices. And then it began. Against a rush of bodies, Akashi was suddenly in possession of the quaffle. The leather against his hand felt like the cover of a familiar book. It'd been altogether too long since he'd played, the chaser thought as he swooped down.

"Akashicchi."

He heard from the blond in front of him. The Slytherin hovered as he surveyed the pitch.

"Give me the ball," came a stern command. The voice sounded like a golden bell being rung at a storybook wedding in a grand and ancient cathedral (yes, its resonance deserved that detailed of a description), "Please Akashicchi."

The veela was positioned in front of him with a kind smile and open arms. His smile quickly fell as the quaffle rushed past his head to a waiting Takao just behind him.

"Oi!" Kise shouted flipping around to chase Akashi. The redhead laughed loudly, pure joy and amusement running through his body as he played unburdened for the first time in his life.

"Nice try, you cheeky bastard!" he shouted to his blond friend. The veela's melodious laugh matched his own.

"It was worth a shot, ne Akashicchi?"

"Hmm. Most definitely," Akashi agreed before dodging a well placed bludger. Behind him, the Ravenclaw beater redirected the ball neatly as she quipped.

"Here's a shot for you, Kise-kun!"

The blond's eyes grew wide as he just managed to duck, a yelp signalling that his teammate Reo had been the unfortunate recipient of that monstrous return.

"Next time, warn me instead of flirting!" the vampire growled, clutching his head.

"Oi, says the serial flirter!" Kise retorted, with feigned outrage.

"That's not even a thing, Ki-chan. Just play the damn game!" the Beauxbatons player said as he rushed to cover Midorima. It was too late; the Ravenclaw scored the first try of the game from well beyond midfield. But before the cheering had even died down, however, Kise returned the favor in the exact same form.

"I've got the game to go with my looks," he said flashing a grin and waving to his fan girls. Akashi could almost feel the outrage pouring off of Midorima. The other Slytherin chaser swept past him and whispered something. The green-haired teen turned an even brighter shade of crimson and Akashi was sure he heard him tell Takao to 'shut up nandayo.' Whatever was said though, it worked and the other youth seemed to calm down significantly.

This was going to be interesting, the redhead thought as the whistle blew to signal the restart. It was, in fact.

The entire first half played out much like the first few minutes. The Hogwarts team would do something extraordinary like Midorima's distance shot, Takao's eagle-eyed passes, or Akashi's broom-shaker, and then Kise would copy it--perfectly. Really truly perfectly. It was quite impressive. Annoying, but impressive. The twin young ladies on his team were causing enough headache as beaters that everyone was on their toes. Akashi had avoided a few well placed hits, but Takao had not. Iron heart, on the other hand, had placed himself in harms way a few times to protect them. He undoubtedly had a few nice sized bruises under his robe.

As the two teams landed for the half-time break, the score was tied. Even with Murasakibara in goal, Kise (with a bit of help from Reo) had managed to keep it 130-130.

The crowd chattered excitedly as the teams made their way to their respective locker rooms. The heat pouring off of his tired teammates, and the lack of any large windows, made for a hot and muggy room. Each player found their own spot to sag into; Akashi, Riko and Momoi stood at the front of the room.

"That damned Kise!" Kagami shouted from his spot on the floor. "I want to knock him off his broom so badly."

"Goodluck," Teppei panted, wiping sweat from his brow with a small towel. He took the water Himuro offered him from his spot on the bench next to him. "I've gotten all of the pretty boys but him."

"His stamina will be running out," Momoi interjected. She tipped her quill to her lips. "But depending on when the snitch is released, it might or might not matter how long he lasts."

"I see," Akashi said calmly, eyes searching his teammates until he found what (or who to be precise) he was looking for. "So the deciding factor will be the snitch."

Momoi nodded, her hair now long, pink and up in a ponytail. She made quick notes on her parchment then continued, "Since Mayuzumi is difficult to follow, I'll need your eye on him at all times Himuro. Let Kagami know where he should be sending those bludgers. Takao-kun, Sei-chan, I don't want you to be distracted by the guy, but try to pay some attention to him. If it looks like he's after something, let Kuroko know."

"They don't have anyone who can deal with Kuroko-kun, so we should be at an advantage," Riko added. The silver-haired boy nodded, blue eyes resolute.

"I won't let you down," he promised; the Hufflepuff met each of their eyes and they all shared a mutual understanding. They were going to win this thing, no matter what.

The team gathered in a circle, with their broom tips in the middle.

"This is slightly phallic," Akashi heard Takao mumble to Midorima. In return, the Ravenclaw hit his head with his lucky item-- a muggle phonebook-- and a disgusted look. Ignoring them, Teppei began the chant,

"on three, one, two, three..."

"Vinceremo!" they thundered in unison and exploded into the air. Their black robes swarming the pitch looked reminiscent of what he imagined death eaters or even dementors looked like (well, as much as a group of happy go lucky teenagers could resemble an evil mob). And if that wasn't intimidating, Akashi didn't know what was.

The second half began much like the first, except Kise was the one beginning the attacks.

"C'mon Akashicchi! I'm waiting for you to stop me!" he called with a brilliant grin. The quaffle appeared in his hands as he received a pass from Yoshitaka Moriyama. Before this game, Akashi hadn't met the third Beauxbatons chaser. He seemed a bit flakey (always cooing about the ladies), but in a game it seemed he was quite put together. Currently, he was creeping up the right wing of the pitch, drawing Teppei's defense. 

No matter, Akashi's full attention was focused on the blond. 

In an unbelievably quick motion, the veela stopped his broom and dropped almost thirty feet. 

"Shit,"the redhead growled. Even he hadn't anticipated that. 

Without hesitation, he followed the blond and clipped his broom bristles in moments. Carefully watching the other teen's every movement, he was able to finally get himself positioned in front of him again. 

Kise's eyes flashed and something incredible happened. With three distinct movements, Akashi found himself struggling to keep balance on his own broom. The sneaky bastard broom-shook him. Knowing his own move, and defending his own move were two different stories. His hesitation gave the veela just enough time to take a distance shot that looked strikingly like Midorima's.

As he was now, Kise was unstoppable.  

It seemed that the veela now had their moves down pact and was even adding some that Akashi knew must be Aomine's. The only thing keeping Hogwarts in the game was their purple-haired giant in the backfield. The Hufflepuff keeper made an incredible amount of saves, keeping the game even. At one point, he even pulled his purple hair back and got that look in his eye-- the one that says he's not thinking about food.

The sweat was beginning to drip steadily from the blond Beauxbatons star, as he pushed himself to his limits against the defensive monster. Akashi took full advantage of his exhaustion by broom-shaking the blond until he only held on with one hand. As a result, the emperor himself executed a perfect distance shot, just out of reach of the Beauxbatons keeper.

"You seem winded, Kise-kun," he said with mock concern. The veela just grinned as he pulled himself back onto his broom.

"I'm just getting started."

And, his next few plays seem to prove just that. After slipping by Murasakibara's defenses twice, the blond also managed to steal not one, but three passes, pushing the Beauxbatons lead to 70. Akashi would move to cover him more tightly, but each time he did the blond would pass to the vampire who was deadly accurate from outside. In his current state of excellence, his passes would just miss the tips of Akashi's fingers and even the redhead's uncanny ability to read the ball's path did nothing. He even slipped past Riko and Kagami's barrage of bludgers like they were nothing. 

The bleachers had not gotten any quieter despite the increasing deficit. Likely in part in appreciation of the veela's spectacular performance. But, he couldn't last much longer judging by how hard he had begun to breath. 

As if on cue, a flick of gold caught Akashi's eye. With complete discretion, he found his silver-haired seeker heading towards the snitch. No one else had noticed, but then again, he had yet to find the grey-haired vampire.

"Shit!" he heard Himuro yell a few meters from him. (So someone else _had_ noticed.) The Slytherin was frantically signaling Kagami. It seemed the Beauxbatons seeker had also spotted the snitch. Luckily, Mad Eye had spotted him. 

Following Himuro's finger, Akashi found the young man weaving in and out of the bleacher supports, taking a much more direct, yet dangerous, route to the prize. Taking a deep breath, the emperor used his uncanny ability to perceive the field before coming up with an almost obvious-- extremely clever, and unbelievably creative--solution.

"Riko! Teppei! Follow my pass!" he bellowed. He knew that despite the vague instructions, the two experienced players would be able to act on instinct and do as he'd asked. The Hufflepuff captain's strength as a chaser lay in his ability to catch anything. And Riko had notoriously impeccable aim. 

Finding what he was looking for, Akashi aimed carefull and released the quaffe. Having calculated her reaction time, the Slytherin could only hope that Riko's bludger would reach the target in time. Halfway to its intended target, Teppei caught the quaffle and headed towards the Beauxbatons goal. And in a moment, Akashi would know whether his plan had succeeded by the tell tale--

"Argh!" the vampire seeker growled as the bludger crashed into the back of his broom, shattering some of the bristles. Any later, and the ball would have left him unscathed. A perfect hit by the Ravenclaw.

The delay gave Kuroko just enough time to catch the golden prize; this time, everyone saw him. And just like that, they had won. Akashi blinked as his teammates froze in stunned silence.  

The sudden and overwhelming roar of the crowd was like a splash of cold water to their faces.

Hogwarts had won the quidditch cup!

The team members hurried to land as the student body rushed the field. The Beauxbatons students offering their amicable congratulations (even as Kise began to cry). From nowhere the trophy appeared and Riko was hoisted onto the team's shoulders holding the large silver cup.

A raucous chorus of "for she's a jolly good fellow" began and butter beer kegs were tapped on the sidelines.

Over the cacophony, the Hogwarts headmaster spoke.

"Congratulations to all the participants of this year's quidditch cup! You all played marvelously and each one of you should be proud. Tomorrow, we bid farewell to our honored guests so today, let's enjoy each other's company one more time!"

Every student and every professor held their newly acquired mugs of butter beer in the air,

"Salud!"

"Cheers!"

"Nasdrovia!"

came the echoed goodwill.

But something was calling Akashi to the Black Lake. With a whisper to Kuroko and a chaste kiss, he excused himself from the other teen's side and walked to the calm pool. He heard only the gentle ripples of the water and the occasional fish.

But, he felt like he should stay at the water's edge and wait. Wait for what, he had no idea, but the urge (no matter how counter-intuitive it was considering recent experiences) was too strong to ignore. So he stood by the water as the sun dipped in the sky. The lake took on the vibrant reddish glows and the Slytherin captain inhaled deeply.

In his short coma, he'd experienced some things that he didn't really understand-- visions that didn't really belong to him. And he was was just now realizing that those thoughts had come from the staff, from the stone that had torn apart his soul.

Just then, a movement in the water caught his eye. He nearly fell onto his ass when the figure emerged-- how ironic.

Slowly, and gracefully, the red hair crept out from underneath the water, matted down by the cool liquid, and Akashi was looking in to a pair of bright orange eyes (decidedly fishier, but still recognizable) that belonged to himself. The creature had a pointed grin. However, besides the strange hair and eye colouring, he looked all the part of a merperson.

"It's good to see you, big brother."

Akashi blinked, for once completely at a loss for words.

"Hmm, yes, I'm sure it's strange. I doubt you remember that well. That last time twist severed our bond with a definite... finality."

The merman chuckled and the Slytherin recognized the sound of his own laugh, if not just a bit watered down.

"They wanted a guide it seems. The merpeople abduct souls and put them in soulless selkies. It's a bit ridiculous, but," he rolled his eyes, "they make me teach them things all the time. But it's really not so terrible."

The fiery eyes flashed and the doubled eyelids closed and opened with a squelch. The creature glanced over at the party on the field, then up at the sky. 

"Looks like rain. I hate rain," it drawled with a grin, "Well, all's well that ends well, I suppose." It lazily flipped into the water with a small wave and a smirk.

Now _that_ was strange, Akashi thought dazedly. He shook his head as he made his way back to the party and the teen he'd left alone. He'd have to come back another day to have his questions answered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoyed it (and I hope the ending wasn't too short for you)! This started out as a quidditch story, but it seems I strayed quite far from that premise. Buuuuut, I liked it, so I hope you did too.  
> There are quite a few drabbles and oneshots related to this story that I've posted (mostly things that didn't fit in the flow) that are a bit more shippy and lovey dovey, if you want to, please do check them out.  
> I've also started [ this](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4532565/chapters/10314846) short, multi-chapter thing with these characters in their sixth year if that's up your alley.  
> Thanks again for making me feel all sorts of happy about posting this thing! As per the ending, it seems like I've led myself to believe that I will write a sequel.  
> Any comments or feedback are appreciated, of course.


	16. Extra Super Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In honor of 2,000 views (wha???), I'm adding this extra little bit in appreciation. It's upped the rating of this fic, just slightly.   
> Thanks again for reading!

"It's creepy down here," the silver-haired youth said, brushing a large spattering of cobwebs from his face. His flat voice echoed through the empty stone chamber, well below the school's lowest level.

"Perhaps. But it's private," came the reasoned reply.

"There are a lot of private places in the school." After a moment, the Hufflepuff asked, "Also, isn't this the room where you tried to kill Kagami?"

"An added bonus."

Kuroko snorted and leveled the other youth with a measured look. "When did you get so funny?"

"Oh, did I make a joke?"

The silver-haired boy's face deadpanned and his eyebrow flickered upwards. With a complete lack of sincerity, Akashi offered a polite apology.

"Also, that was over a year ago. Practically a lifetime by teenage standards," the redhead added with a smile. Though it was too dark to see, he knew the other young man rolled his eyes.

"This is strange, Seijuro."

"I'm strange, Tetsuya."

Though Kuroko sighed deeply, Akashi knew him well enough to know that the other young man didn't completely hate their current adventure-- and that was all the encouragement he needed. The two pressed onwards for another minute until they reached somewhere that satisfied the Slytherin. Why it was any different to the other dank and dark spaces in the room was a mystery to the teen that followed him.

Before the Hufflepuff could protest again, soft lips clamped over his own and strong hands slip onto his hips. Reflexively, his own arms slid around the other young man's neck, just slightly taller than his own. Darkness fell over him as his eyes shut, letting him lose himself in the other teen's attentions. For his part, Akashi obliged by coaxing the youth's mouth open and teasingly wrapping their tongues together.

As he pulled away, Kuroko reluctantly released him with a quiet hum of complaint. The half-veela's breath was slightly ragged and his eyes were very much so dilated.

"Tsk, tsk, Tetsu. Do you think I meant for our first time to be on the cold, damp stone floor?" the redhead said with a mixture of admonishment and amusement in his voice.

"Who knows?" Kuroko grumbled, tugging at the cuffs of his own robe. It was unusual to see him this anxious, but in this situation...perfectly understandable. Akashi himself was feeling abnormal butterflies swarming in his stomach--at times threatening to choke him. He was sure the other young man could sense his nerves. Neither mentioned it.

Without preamble, the Slytherin reached into the satchel he had been carrying and pulled out a square canvas roughly the size of a quaffle. After pulling at a few strings, he cast the object several feet in front of them. And, though he was a wizard, Kuroko was still awed as a rather large and impressive tent grew from those humble beginnings.

A warm glow emanated from the open door as it reached full-size with a pop. The Hufflepuff could smell a healthy fire and suddenly realized he had been cold for sometime. He stepped inside the tent before Akashi had even noticed him move. The redhead pushed the canvas flap to the side and followed him.

The room was just as comfortable as Kuroko had imagined. Instead of the cold, stone floor, large rugs with thick and illustrious fur lined the room. At its end, was a large bed, made up with elegant red and silver bedding. It looked incredibly soft.

A small fire burned in a little hearth at the center of the tent and its chimney escaped through the center of the roof. The cast iron grate surrounded the circular fireplace on all sides. It was the first time the Hufflepuff had seen anything quite like it.

In the corner of the room was a large wooden chest, and next to it sat a set of oak chairs and table. A small table cloth was strewn across it and various foods were laid out on the table. It was lit by the gentle glow of two candles. The rest of the space was lit by six magical torches, hanging off the walls. Their flames shifted between deep reds, oranges, and purples.

"I made it myself," Akashi said quietly, wrapping his arms around the other youth from behind. The Hufflepuff felt the warmth of the redhead's chest pressed against his back as his lithe arms wrapt around his midsection. The Slytherin pressed his face into the length of Kuroko's shoulder and inhaled before giving him a small kiss.

"It's impressive," the silver-haired teen responded, struggling to keep his heart from beating out of his chest. He turned himself around in the embrace and slid his hands onto Akashi's neck. His thumbs ran along the Slytherin's jaw until they rest on his lips. The redhead opened his mouth just enough to begin to suck on them.

That's the Kuroko snapped.

Thumbs were replaced with lips and he began pulling Akashi towards the bed, kissing him hungrily all the while. The redhead let himself be led, tugging at the hem of the other young man's t-shirt. As they neared the edge of the bed, he pulled it over Kuroko's head in one swift motion. He pulled off his own shortly after as the silver-haired teen's hands worked to unbutton both of their jeans.

Even the brush of his hands as he struggled with the stubborn metal made Akashi harder.

"Lectum Aperio," Akashi mumbled against the insistent lips as he slipped out of his pants. The duvet and blanket fell to the side, revealing warm white sheets.

By the time they had made their way onto the bed, neither youth had on any clothing.

Kuroko pushed himself up the bed on his back and raised on his palms Akashi followed, never letting their lips part. As soon as they were settled, he let himself lay on the other teen. The warmth of each other's skin was something that they'd never known. Sensing each subtle movement, knowing the texture of each other's bodies...

It was magnificent.

Akashi hummed as Kuroko's hands traced over his sides; he sucked in a breath when the deft fingers dug into him. And when then moved to knead his ass, he growled with approval. 

Their eyes met as Akashi pulled back. The light blue was drowned out by the expanse of the black pupils and Kuroko licked his swollen lips.

"Now," he said, voice more commanding than the Slytherin had ever heard. As if to accentuate his demands, the silver-haired teen ground up into his hips slowly. The sensation surged through Akashi's body-- just as it must have through Kuroko's own. The young man wrapped his leg around the redhead's back.

"Protego," he huffed just as Akashi's husky voice whispered, "lubramenti."

The redhead shifted his weight and reached down to stroke the other teen's member before aligning his own with the ready entrance.

Without warning, he pushed into the other young man slowly through the tightness.

Kuroko groaned as he adjusted to the stretch and the burn.

"Seijuro," he said after a moment. Akashi could see the beads of sweat on the other youth's forehead and the deep flush of his cheeks. He pressed his lips to his head before he lowered himself to that delicious neck.

The silver-haired boy squirmed and with a moan, he demanded quietly, "move."

Slowly at first, but soon more wildly, the redhead obliged. With each thrust, delicious sounds emanated from the youth underneath him. And each sound made him lose himself just a little more. Sheer desire for this person spread from his chest until it curled around the tips of his toes, and he moved with even more ferocity. As the knot in his stomach tightened, he reached between them to wrap his hand around the other young man's need. 

And when they came, he was in effect blinded by the light and lost in his overstimulated senses. In the end, both teens flopped bonelessly back into the broken in sheets, gasping for air.

"Tetsuya," Akashi finally managed to vocalize.

"Mmm," returned the other young man as he draped himself over the other, entwining their legs.

"Thank you."

"Mmm."

For awhile, the only sound was the crackling of the magical fireplace.

"Seijuro."

"Mmm."

"Next time..." the other teen shifted so he could look into the firey red gaze, equally red eyebrows quirked up. "Let's try the dark forest."

A laugh escaped the Slytherin's lips as he wrapped his arms around the best thing that had ever happened to him. 


End file.
